Call of Duty
by McRaider
Summary: Double feature! Ch. 11 & 12 posted Fifteen years after high school, and only two years after a very messy divorce, Kurt Hummel runs into an old friend, David Karofsky. Much to their surprise, they've both done some growing and some changing.
1. Chapter 1

**Call Of Duty  
>McRaider<br>Summary**: Fifteen years after high school, and only two years after a very messy divorce, Kurt Hummel runs into an old friend, David Karofsky. Much to their surprise, they've both done some growing and some changing.  
><strong>Author's Note<strong>: As much as I'd love to say I love Klaine, I honestly don't, at first Blaine was awesome and adorable. But soon he became aggravating to me. I found myself falling head over heels for the interactions of Kurtofsky.  
><strong>Rated<strong>: PG-13 except for the parts that are stated otherwise.

**Chapter One –**

** D**avid **K**arofsky stepped into the bedroom and looked down at the sleeping child that lay there. This was the first full day back to school for the Liberty Academy students. She had to get up and head to class. A class she wouldn't be familiar with, a class she wouldn't know anyone in. A class completely different than the one she'd gone to three months ago. "Ellie, kiddo, time to wake up." He moved over to the bed and gently rubbed the child's side. Two hazel eyes fluttered then looked up at him. "Morning."

"It's time for school?"

He nodded, "Yep, I'm going to drop you off. Then I've got to work today. So you're going to go home with Shelly and Tori Johnson, remember?"

"Yes, I remember."

He brushed the hair from her face and smiled, caressing her cheek, "My sweet girl, everything's going to be all right. I promise."

She straightened her lips and nodded slowly. "I know."

Pressing a kiss to her forehead and stood, "Your uniform is in your closet. Go ahead and wash up then get dressed, I'll meet you in the kitchen. What do you want for lunch?"

"Peanut butter," She slid out of the bed and grabbed a towel from her nearby chair.

He sighed and made his way out of her bedroom, shut the door and let his eyes slide closed, exhaustion filling his very being. He ran his hand over his face wearily. Two months. All she'd eaten for the past two months was peanut butter. He couldn't convince her to eat anything else. He was worried sick about her. All the same he pushed on, heading through the living room and dining room he stepped into the kitchen and hurried about making her breakfast and lunch.

A few minutes later his niece came into the kitchen wearing her uniform, a plaid skirt of blues, grays and blacks, and her blue knit top with a light gray shirt under it. "Uncle Dave, what if they don't like me?" She climbed up on the stool to eat the banana and peanut butter he'd placed in front of her.

"Sweetie, you're going to be with Shelly. She's in the same class as you so that's at least one friend. Now you are amazing. You're going to have a great day and I'll be home by six so we can talk all about it. Okay?"

"Kay."

Dave reached out and gripped the girl's thin hand. "Ellie, I know it's been rough , but we can get through this."

She gave him a tight smile as she finished off the food, sipped some milk, and then headed into the living room towards the front door to grab her new backpack. Dave grabbed his own bag, and escorted her out the door, locking it behind them. He unlocked the truck. Dave was relieved that she got in the truck. She refused to ride in it for their first three weeks together. Thankfully that had been during the summer so it hadn't been needed as much. But eventually she got past that hump. He opened the back door and lifted her up into the booster seat and strapped her in. Closing the back door, he then climbed into the driver's side and headed to the school that was only minutes down the road from his firehouse.

It didn't take long to arrive, and kids were already starting to file into the school. As it was her first day of first grade, Dave parked the car and got out, helping her out of the back. He walked her hand-in-hand into the school and down the hall. They'd had a brief orientation a few days earlier in her new classroom. Ms. Cheryl Piper stood at the front of her class greeting her first graders. "Mr. Karofsky, nice to see you again." She shook Dave's hand firmly, smiling warmly at him.

"Thank you. Ellie, you remember Ms. Piper when we met her a few days ago?"

"Hi," Ellie said. She shied closer to her uncle.

Miss Cheryl crouched down in front of Ellie and smiled warmly. "Tell you what, your friend Shelly has already arrived, and she's playing with my daughter and a friend. Would you like to come meet them?"

Ellie looked up at her uncle who gave her a quick nod. Miss Cheryl took Ellie's hand and led her over to a table where two other girls, Shelly and Miss Cheryl's daughter were coloring with a boy. Miss Cheryl knelt down again and smiled. "Ellie, this is my daughter Becca and her friend Chris. Chris, Becca this is Ellie Karofsky."

"Hi," they both chimed eagerly, Becca held out some crayons, "Wanna play with us?"

Ellie gave a very hesitant nod and then joined them. Cheryl stood and headed back over to David. "You going to be all right?"

"She's not my daughter," he muttered.

"David, what you and she went through was nothing short of traumatic. What you're doing is wonderful and she may not be your daughter but I know you adore her the way I adore my daughter."

"I should get going. You have the number if you need anything?"

"Of course, and I already spoke with Tori. She'll bring the girls home, no worries."

With a final nod, and one last glance at his niece, he headed out the door and back to his truck to hurry to work. With the hours he worked, every few days, someone would have to babysit her, or she'd go with Shelly to her parents'. They'd done it more than a few times at this point and she handled it well now. The first few days had been a nightmare though.

He pulled up to the station, parking in the lot behind the station, waving to a couple of the crew from the previous shift. "Morning, ladies," Jim called as they walked into the common room. Jim had coffees in hand and passed them to his fellow crew members. "Anything fun happen last night?" he asked as he took a seat.

Henry, one of the previous day's crew grabbed a coffee and grinned. "Was this one yours?" He took a sip. "Just right. Nothing too exciting. We had a warehouse fire down on 18th last night."

"What happened?"

"Captain thinks it was arson," Henry answered as he pulled a hooded sweatshirt over his head. "I'm headed home. Have a good day boys. Don't forget the cookout Saturday!" he called, waving over his shoulder.

"That's right! The cookout! You're coming, right, Davey?" Jim asked, glancing over at his best friend.

Dave sighed as he looked over at them, sipping his coffee. "I don't know, hadn't really thought about it."

"Aww come on, Dave. You need to get out more," Leonard McKay complained as he grabbed his own coffee.

Dave sighed, "I went to almost every Yankees game this year."

"To root against them," laughed Len. "And to check out the guys."

Dave chuckled slightly, "First off, wasn't checking anyone out, and second I grew up in Ohio. It's against my religion to root for anyone but the Indians."

"You aren't religious, ass," Jim replied as he smirked. "Come on though, Dave. You and Ellie need to get out. The only way that girl is ever going to feel normal again is if she gets a chance at living her life."

Dave ran his hands over his face. "I'm not her father. I don't know how to be everything for her."

A clap on his shoulder startled him, and he looked up into the warm face of his Captain, Charlie O'Toole. "You're doing an excellent job, David. Don't think otherwise for a moment. Now gentleman, there's a giant rig outside waiting for a wash down and a full spectrum run through."

"Aye, aye Captain," the men replied, grinning as they set their coffee down and headed upstairs and outside.

"All I'm saying, Dave, is you haven't dated anyone since you broke up with Caleb six months ago, and then with…with all of this Ellie stuff you haven't had much of a chance to really be yourself. Come with me and Tori. We're considering getting a little football game going and everything."

"I'll think about it." Dave replied. He caught himself smiling warmly as his friends continued to banter for the next several minutes. He considered where he was today: talking openly about an ex-boyfriend he'd broken up with and speaking about his family. So much had changed in what felt like a short time span. But then fifteen years felt like a lifetime as well. Fifteen years…next year would be his fifteen-year reunion for high school. He couldn't help but feel mildly apprehensive about such a thought. He hadn't attended the ten-year reunion, though from what he'd heard it hadn't been much of a real turnout anyway. While he was now openly gay and proud of whom he was there was still a small part of him that was simply terrified to return to Lima, Ohio, a world where he'd been forced to hide himself every day, where he'd done terrible things to people, one person in particular.

His thoughts quickly turned to Kurt Hummel. He often wondered where the boy—man now—was and what he was doing. He crossed Dave's mind more than usual. Perhaps it was the break up

"Karofsky!" Jim's voice snapped him from his thoughts and he turned to find a face full of water. The rest of his team laughed as he chuckled and shook it off.

"You are so dead," Dave warned, unable to hide his grin.

**o0o**

Life, for Kurt Hummel, had changed in a heartbeat. One phone call, one shattered tumbler, one drunken rage and suddenly he wasn't Kurt Hummel-Anderson anymore. He was just Kurt Hummel. Secretly he was grateful for New York City's hustle and bustle because it meant no one really took the time to care about his trivial issues. No one took the time to notice that he ducked anytime someone passed, the hospital staff didn't ask, and he didn't tell as he continued to go about his life and practice as if nothing had ever happened. As if he hadn't been handed divorce papers, as if he hadn't fallen out of love so long ago.

Two years later, after all was said and done, after the pain had been swept under the carpet, the abuse ignored like the awkward family member at a reunion, and Blaine agreed to get help for his problems, Kurt sat at the café table staring out through the windows. He was only half listening to what his ex-husband was no doubt lecturing him about this time. He closed his eyes, knowing that any minute his little boy would come running through those doors after his first day of school and he'd be rid of his ex for another nine months. "Kurt, are you even listening?" Blaine snapped.

That voice had once held love, heat and passion. Now it was cold and dead, Kurt hoped for his son's sake that Blaine was indeed recovering from his time with the bottle. The agreement had been from the judge that Blaine sobered up, he had a year to get himself back under control, and then he could have custody of his son for a period of time during the year. He and Kurt had agreed that summer was the best time for that. As much as it pained Kurt to watch the downward spiral of his former partner, it hurt more to know that he'd never really seen it coming and couldn't have done a thing to stop it. Kurt finally settled his blue green eyes on the man he'd once loved. "Yes, Blaine, I'm listening. " He only got three months to spend with the child, really only two months if you counted the fact that the two weeks of June and the two weeks in August were spent with Kurt here, at home to finish up school and prepare for school. "I know how to handle questions from my son." His voice dangerously low, not wanting to attract more attention.

"Do you always have to be like this when we see each other?" Blaine demanded.

Kurt looked at the man with contention. "Please leave."

"Look, I'm just trying to tell you what we—"

Kurt's eyes narrowed. "I'm positive that my son will tell me all about his summer when he returns from school. You got to drop him off, Blaine. I even agreed to meet with you because I thought this was important. He's seven, so he's asking questions about gay people. How is that unusual? He's a curious kid. You're gay, Blaine. It should be pretty damn easy to figure out why he's asking about it." He was exhausted, it had been a long day at work, there had been some setbacks in his research, and on top of that he'd received an unexpected text from Blaine saying this was urgent. Kurt knew somewhere in the back of his mind he was being unreasonable but right now he didn't seem to care.

"I'm trying to help, Kurt, I don't want you to be side swiped by his questions." Blaine replied, trying to keep the aggravation out of his voice.

"I appreciate your concern, but I can handle it. Thank you." Kurt was frustrated especially when Blaine acted like he still cared. Because deep down inside, Kurt knew he really didn't. But that was his personality, offer a world of rationale and then follow little of it himself.

Kurt closed his eyes, letting the relief of surviving another visit from his ex wash over him. He wasn't miserable, or at least he tried to convince himself of that every few hours. It didn't really appear to be working well.

The bell of the small café door rang, signaling someone else had just come in and a bright voice broke his concentration. "Daddy!"He opened his eyes to see his seven-year-old being escorted by Noah Puckerman.

"Uncle Kurt!" Noah's daughter Becca also hurried over to him, both of them smothering Kurt in hugs and kisses.

"There's my little babies." He squeezed them both, smiling when Becca hopped off his lap a moment later. Chris on the other hand remained seated in his dad's lap, cuddling close to him for a moment. Kurt dropped a kiss to his son's forehead. "How was your first day?"

"Good. Did dad leave already?"

"Yep, you're all mine for nine months!" Kurt replied, smiling as his son threw his arms around his neck and hugged him close. He couldn't describe his relief when a year ago the judge had given him custody of the boy with visitation rights to Blaine. While Kurt didn't make as much money, he spent more time and paid far more attention to the child. He was twice as attentive and knew Blaine didn't pay proper attention to his son. He was happy to have the boy. He would feel better, however, knowing Blaine didn't have any custody rights.

"Why don't you and Becca go buy a snack?" He slipped his son a ten, and watched him and Becca hurry over to the counter they barely could see over.

Noah chuckled and took a seat across from his old friend. "How ya doin', Hummel?"

"Divorce sucks, Noah."

Noah smiled sadly. "Tell me about it. But hey, you got through the tough part, and you're a great dad. They made the right decision letting you have him. I'd still be happy to abuse my power as cop to kick his ass."

Kurt smiled, but it failed to reach his eyes. "Thank you, Noah, but I don't think that would do any good…for either of you." He paused and watched his son, "I just wish it didn't ever have to come to that."

"Listen, me, Cheryl and Becca are going on a picnic this weekend. You wanna come? It's for a benefit for some of the police officers and firemen in the city."

Kurt glanced up at his friend and smiled. "I wish you'd quit the force some days."

Noah shrugged. "You've been saying that for nearly fifteen years, Hummel. It ain't gonna happen. You wanna come, or not?"

Kurt smiled warmly at his friend. "I'll be there."

Kurt cherished the rare and odd friendship he had with Puck. It had been right after college when it happened, Kurt had been working at the hospital while still studying to finish his internship when Puck had been brought in with a head wound. Working the ER shift, Kurt had been the one on duty. He'd been so shocked that he'd almost forgotten how to do his job. But they took good care of Noah and he'd gotten back to his job within a week. They'd been friends ever since, setting up lunches once a week between Noah's cases or between Kurt's home visits. What had once been malice-turned-mutual respect in high school had long since developed into a surprising friendship that Kurt was overwhelmingly grateful for.

"Aba, did you tell Uncle Kurt about the picnic?" Becca asked as she crawled onto her father's lap, fidgeting as she got her sticky bun and sticky fingers all over him.

He chuckled and brushed a couple stray crumbs she'd dropped from his shoulder and seated her on his lap so she'd stop moving. He then playfully stole a bite of her sticky bun. "Hey!" she complained.

"Yes, Munchkin, I told him," Noah replied around his bite.

"Are you guys coming, Uncle Kurt?"

Kurt smirked as his son also climbed in his lap, however he'd had the foresight first to place both of his tasty treats, one for his father and one for him on the table before climbing up . "What do you think, Chris? Would you like to go?"

"Becky told me about the picnic at school. It'd be fun."

Becca cheered while Noah shook his head. He looked at Kurt and smiled. "Well, I think it's time to get a certain girl home and check to see if she has homework. Chris, stay cool." He playfully bumped fists with the boy before standing and looking at Kurt. "Call if you need anything, man."

"I'm fine, but thank you, Noah." His thoughts wandered to his son. Despite the separation nearly two years ago, Chris was turning into a fine young man..

"Daddy, can I ask you a question?"

Kurt sighed as he kissed his son's forehead once more . "Does this have something to do with the questioned you asked your father a week ago?" He waited until Chris nodded. Kurt glanced around the café. It was overly packed, even for a Wednesday, but this wasn't a conversation they needed to have here. "Let's head home, and you can ask me your burning question there, okay?"

"Okie dokie." The boy wiggled off his dad's lap, and Kurt handed him his pastry which he gladly dug into. Taking one of Chris' hands and gripping his bag in the other, Kurt made his was out of the shop and down the subway steps on the corner..

"So, tell me about your day," Kurt prompted, squeezing his son close as they sat on the subway on their way to the apartment in Queens.

"We had a new student today! Her name is Ellie! She's lots of fun, and her uncle is a fireman so she might be at the picnic too! And we're gonna start learning grammar, and it's really cool because she says I'm ahead by two levels in my reading level. What does that mean, Daddy? Is that good?"

Kurt chuckled, "It is good to be smart, Chris. It means you're reading ahead of your peers. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Okay." Chris finished his dessert and held his hands out to his father, who pulled a napkin out of his pocket and quickly wiped them off.

Twenty minutes later, Kurt was unlocking the door to their apartment and letting his son hurry inside. He closed and locked it behind them. Slipping off his shoes, happy to be home, he stepped into the living room and sighed at the sight of the pictures decorating the house. Most were of just Chris or Chris and him, or of pictures of Chris, himself and his family back in Ohio. Pictures of Blaine had long since disappeared. There were only about two in the house, and mostly because they'd been happy at the time.

Kurt stepped out of the living room doorway and into the kitchen across the hallway, smiling at the sight of Chris already working diligently on his homework. Kurt had a rule: as long as Chris finished all his homework first, they could watch any movie, or play any game, or even go out somewhere to get ice cream before Chris went to bed. It ensured that Chris knew school came first. Kurt's father had always done that with him after the death of his mother.

He sighed at that. He hated that he was going to be raising his son as a single parent. His father had hated it as well, and it didn't seem fair to the kid.

He jumped as his cell phone rang. "I got it!" Chris cheered as he snapped up and grabbed the phone. "GRANDPA!"

Kurt chuckled as he heard his father laugh on the other side. "_How's my favorite grandson!_"

"I'm your only grandson, Grandpa!"

Kurt shook his head, rolled his eyes and headed to the fridge to figure out what to make for dinner. Since they'd had a little celebratory snack, Kurt figured a smaller healthy dinner would be best. Only half listening to his son's conversation with his dad, Kurt went about quickly making some cold cut sandwiches on wheat and poured a glass of milk for Chris. He pushed a plate front of him several minutes later. "Eat your dinner, and let me talk to Grandpa," he ordered gently.

"Kay, Daddy wants to talk to you. Love you Grandpa."

"_Love you too, half pint_,"

Kurt accepted the phone from his son and glanced at the boy. "I'm going into the living room. You all right for now?"

"Yep."

Kurt nodded and headed back into the living room and sat on the couch. "Hey, Dad."

"_There's my boy. How ya holdin' up_?"

"Same old, same old. You never told me being a single father was this hard."

Burt sighed on the other line, glancing over at Carole who was reading next to him on the couch. "_You never asked, Kurt. It was hard kiddo, but I wouldn't have traded a moment of the time I had with you. You know that._"

"I know."

"_Kurt, the first couple years apart are the hardest, it's true. Granted your situation is different than mine. But…You're alone when you don't want to be, you're missing the person you fell in love with and you're struggling to make sure you do the best job you can. There's nothing wrong with that, Kurt. I'm proud of you_."

"Thanks."

"_You want us to come for a visit soon?_" Burt asked .Hearing the tone in his son's voice broke his heart that he couldn't be there all the time.

"Only if you can," Kurt replied, feeling a familiar tightness in his. He was a grown man now, thirty-three. He had a son; it meant he had to be the strong one, just like he'd practiced all his life. "_Tell you what, Carole and I will discuss a little mini vacation, maybe a few days in October for Chris' birthday, okay? Sound okay_?"

"I'd like that. So, how's Finn?"

Burt knew a diversion when he heard one, and he wasn't going to turn it down. His son's divorce was a sore spot right now, and no one blamed him. He'd been sideswiped by the unexpected. "_Finn is Finn_," Burt joked. His step-son was a successful teacher and football coach now at McKinley High School, happily married to his college sweetheart, Nancy and they had a daughter. "_He misses you, asks about you every time they come over. Oh and he always complains you talk to Nancy more than him_."

Kurt laughed because it was true. Even on his worst days when he couldn't talk to his dad, Kurt called Nancy or Finn and chatted with them. Especially so in the past two years. Usually he got Nancy though because she was a nurse and tended to work a later shift so someone could always be home with Laura. "I'm sure he's positively tortured by that, considering I spent three hours with him on the phone last week when he was at home alone with Laura who had the flu."

"_Oh, he called you too,_" chuckled Burt. "_He called Carole in a frenzy unsure what to do with a child who had a fever. I don't know how this boy is going to survive being a father._"

Kurt laughed as he heard Carole playfully smack Burt in the arm. "Is Carole there?"

"_What I'm suddenly not good enough for you either?_"

"I love you, Dad."

Burt grew serious, "_I know, kiddo. I love you too. You're a damn good father and don't you ever forget that. I'll call you tomorrow after I set something up with Charlie at the shop for when we'll come up. I'm going to go get something to eat. Here's Carole._"

"Bye, Dad."

"_Hey sweetie_," Carole greeted him a moment later.

"So, what's the newest gossip around town?"

Fifteen minutes later, Kurt hung up the phone feeling significantly better. Carole was a godsend. He knew that when life got tough, he'd always have Carole now. She didn't completely fill the hole his mother had left, but she'd done a damn good job of making sure it was a little smaller.

"Daddy?" Kurt glanced over the edge of the couch where he'd been slouched against and saw Chris standing there smiling at him. Chris had Rachel's smile. Kurt sighed. He'd done many things in this world wrong, but agreeing to father a child with an old friend so that he and Blaine could have a child was one thing he'd done right. And when Kurt had mentioned casually to Rachel that they'd started looking for a surrogate she'd jumped at the opportunity. The only difference was she wanted to be a part of the child's life. So every few weekends when she wasn't busy with a show she spent a week with Chris.

"What's up, Peanut?" he asked as Chris scooted onto the couch beside him, leaning into his father.

"Can I ask you my question now?"

Kurt had completely forgotten, "I'm sorry, I told you could ask when we got home. Ask away, Peanut." He'd been calling Chris that since the first sonogram when he'd looked like a tiny little peanut. It was a nick name Chris had come to love and expect from him.

"I was at camp this summer." Kurt had hoped that Chris would've liked the summer camp he and Blaine had chosen for him. Clearly they'd misjudged the decision a little "And one of the kids called me weird cause I had two daddies. He said nobody has two dads…How come he said that? Doesn't mom have two dads?"

Kurt nodded. "Christopher, come here." Patting his lap, he waited until his son was in his arms before he explained the tough question. One he'd always expected. "Chris, there are lots of kinds of love in the world. Remember how I explained that when you were a little younger and you asked if it was okay to love mommy as much as you loved me and dad?"

"Uh huh."

"So these different types of love, they can come in all forms, the love of a grandson and a grandpa, the love of a father and a son. The love of a man and a woman, two women and two men, those loves though, the last three…those are some of the most special loves, Chris."

"How come?"

"Because it's something that is completely unexplainable, it's fulfilling in a way unlike anything else you'll ever experience. I know it doesn't make much sense now, but you'll understand one day. But, even though it may seem like there aren't many people who have two mommies or two daddies, there are lots out there and what's important is that they are all loved as much as they can be. Do you feel loved?"

Chris nodded and grinned from ear to ear, just like his mommy, Kurt was thrilled that he'd gotten Rachel's smile, she had a beautiful one. "Yeah!"

"Then that's what's important. And another way to think of it kiddo, is there are lots of kids who have just a mommy or a daddy, or a grandma and grandpa, but you have three sets of grandparents a mommy, a daddy and Another daddy, so you've got like three times as much love."

"I do!" cheered the boy.

Kurt smiled warmly as he hugged his son close for another long moment. "And I do love you, Chris. Listen buddy, I know these past couple years have been pretty tough on you, and don't think I haven't noticed how torn you are when you have to go away for the summer. But Chris, don't you ever think for a single moment that we split up because of you, okay? Your father and I love you so much Chris. And if there's anything good that came out of our life together it was you."

"Why doesn't Dad spend as much time with me as you?" Chris was picking at the edge of his shirt.

"I don't know, Peanut. I think it's because somewhere deep down inside he feels as guilty as I do for putting you through the past two years of pain. Maybe it's because he's a little angry. Maybe it's because he's afraid to hurt you the way his dad hurt him."

"Grandpa Bill is nice to me."

Kurt chuckled and hugged the boy again, "I know he is, Chris. It's because you're his only grandkid. He does love you, but he struggles with his son being gay. That's not your father's fault, or my fault or even your fault. It's something only Grandpa Bill can cope and deal with and resolve. But I think your dad worries that he can't be a good father to you because he didn't have a very good one."

"Oh."

Kurt studied his little boy for a long moment, before tilting his chin up, "Something else on your mind, Peanut?"

"Am I gay, Daddy?"

Kurt laughed slightly. That he hadn't expected…at least not yet, "I have no idea, kid. You tell me, do you like girls or boys?"

Chris made a face. "Girls have cooties!"

Kurt highly doubted that was his son's sexual preference considering most boys felt that way. "Tell you what, Chris. Why don't you wait a few more years before you start thinking about whom or what you like? You've got plenty of time and your old man isn't ready for some of those discussions yet."

Chris smiled as he leaned against his dad's chest. "Grandpa says we're a lot alike."

"Who?"

"You and me. He says we're like you two were."

"We are."

Chris leaned his head all the way back and studied his daddy. "You're my best friend." Turning, and wrapping his arms tight around Kurt's neck, Chris clung onto him for a long moment.

"You're mine too," Kurt replied, hugging him. He knew his son was overly affectionate, but to be fair both Rachel, he, and even Blaine were all affectionate people. Kurt was positive, despite some little quirks, that Chris wasn't gay. The only interest Chris had in other boys was playing football and sports with them.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: First off, Thanks to my friend ****Caera1996 who gave me the inspiration for this story by writing two beautiful Star Trek fics: The Basics of Primary Ed and Learning as We Go. I couldn't have got this story going and continued it without her beautiful inspiration! Also thanks to all my reviewers, while I love writing and I adore this story, it's nice to know people love it too as I really wanted this to be a very successful story! So please keep reviewing and I'll do all I can to make it the very best! Also someone asked how long this will be, for sure I have an ending set for this specific part of the series at 115 pages but I might make this story longer.**

**Chapter Two –**

He hadn't been to one of these picnics in about three years. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy them. He did. It gave him a chance to catch up with friends from other districts that he hadn't seen in a while, but it didn't change the fact that he was uncomfortable in these situations. Today was no different. With Ellie latching onto his hand, clearly nervous, he made his way over to a nearby picnic table where Jim, Tori and Shelly were already seated.

"Great, you made it!" Jim smiled warmly at his friend.

Dave nodded and gave Tori a quick hug while Shelly and Ellie hurried over to the jungle gym several feet away. "Is she eating anything more yet?" Tori asked.

"Not by choice. I mean I manage to get her to eat a few other things in addition to the peanut butter, but that's just about all she's eaten. It's been two months. I don't know how much longer she can keep this up."

"Kids handle tragedy and pain differently than adults, Dave. You just have to trust that this is her way of coping," Tori replied.

"Yeah, believe me, I know. Doesn't stop my concern over it. I'm just not sure I'm cut out to do this whole dad thing. I love her, and I loved my brother, but this is a different world, one I'm not familiar with."

"It takes time, Dave. It's only been two months. Give yourself the time to adjust."

Dave didn't reply. He wasn't sure he'd ever be prepared to do the whole father thing. Sure a small part of him had always wanted to be a parent, and he'd been involved in Ellie's life since the day she'd been born so it wasn't like they were starting from scratch, but there was a huge difference between a mommy and a daddy and living with Uncle Dave.

"Uncle Dave! Uncle Dave," Ellie hurried over, slightly out of breath. "Will you come help me make it all the way across the bars?"

Dave smiled and accepted his niece's hand. "I'd love to. Save our spots," he called back. Despite his nervousness about being a parent, he couldn't help but adore simple moments like this. He headed over to join her and Shelly as they went across the high bars on the jungle gym, something he'd always asked his dad to do when he was their age.

Cheryl, Becca and Noah Puckerman made their way towards the picnic tables, and Cheryl immediately spotted her friend Tori. "Tori, how are things?" She greeted the red head with a warm hug.

"I'm doing great. How are you two?" Tori said, smiling at Becca. Then she reached out and hugged Puckerman who returned it with one arm.

"I'm telling you, Tori, it's not too late to run away with me," he joked as he took a seat beside Jim, shaking the man's hand.

"Yes it is, Puckerman," Jim said. "You gave up that right when you joined the squad instead of the battalion."

"Now, now boys," Cheryl said.

"Rivalry suits you, Jim," Noah grinned.

"Hockey season starts soon, Puckerman. Just be ready. "

"Oh I can't wait."

Kurt pulled his SUV into a parking spot and glanced back at his son who was reading in his booster seat. Liberty Park was among one of Kurt's favorites. There had been a bit of a New Jersey renovation over the past seven years in an effort to revitalize the city after the Great Recession. The worst parts of towns were now a little safer and better to be in, and the good parts of town were great. Many of the parks had been cleaned up, leaving them fresh for kids and families alike. They celebrated in Liberty Park most often for the sheer size of the park, every few years they changed it up and went to Central Park.

The New York Fire and Police Cook Out was a huge event. Hundreds of cops and firefighters from all different brigades and divisions came out to celebrate with their families every year to help raise money for St. Jude's Hospital. Many joined for lunch even if they were on shifts. Kurt had attended the last two picnics as an honorary friend of Noah Puckerman who was the Police Captain of his Division.

He made his way, Chris at his side, towards the back picnic tables where he saw Noah, Cheryl and Becca already seated. Kurt wasn't sure who the other two were.

"Kurt, you did come!" Chery caught Kurt with a quick hug.

"Cheryl, I've missed you." He hugged her in return.

Cheryl looked at Chris. "Goodness, you have grown. Kurt, I don't think you two have met my friends from college. This is Tori and Jim Johnson. Their daughter Shelly is over there on the jungle gym and attends class with Becca and Chris."

"Daddy! That's the new girl I told you about," Chris pointed.

As if on cue, Dave Karofsky came back over to the group with the two girls in tow, both giggling over something as they took their seats. "Miss Cheryl," Ellie said.

"Hummel? Puckerman?" Dave's voice was filled with surprise.

"Karofsky?" All three of them looked utterly stunned as they stood there for a minute, just staring at each other. The other three adults and the children all looked between them.

"Wait, you three know each other?" Jim finally broke the awkward silence.

Kurt shook himself from his surprise, as did Puck and Karofsky. "Yes, from high school."

Dave stood there for a moment unsure what to say or what to even call him. They hadn't been friends, and he hadn't seen him in nearly fifteen years. Was calling him by his first name appropriate? He'd never imagined this moment, let alone how awkward it would feel. "How are you, Hummel?" he settled on.

Kurt gave him a wary smile. "Still here. How are you?"

"Busy," Dave replied, unsure what else to say.

They hadn't been best friends by any means, but the anger and chill between them had settled. Mostly Kurt had just felt bad for the teen. Karofsky had remained in the closet, at least to the rest of the school, for his entire high school career. He'd struggled with his identity the entire time. Kurt had often worried about him, concerned that it was hurting him. But when they had graduated, Kurt had been so excited to start his new life with college and Blaine in New York that his mind left Karofsky behind.

The man before him appeared more confident if a little surprised to see him, but Kurt didn't know if he was out, loud and proud. Noah had a couple gay friends on the force, a girl and a guy, and while for the most part they weren't bothered, Noah occasionally admitted some of the others on the force made things rough for them. The majority of the officers respected them, but there were always a few who had to cause trouble. Kurt hoped for Karofsky's own sanity that he had come out and was at least honest with himself by now. Fifteen years felt like an eternity to be stuck in the closet.

"Daddy?" Chris yanked Kurt out of his silent thoughts.

"Sorry, what?" Kurt asked, glancing down at his son.

"I'm hungry," Chris pouted

"Right, sorry," Kurt replied, shaking himself from the stupor "Let's go get food."

"Who else is up for food? I'll go with you," Dave offered as he followed Kurt over to the table rack where tons of food had been brought in for everyone. "So… are you a cop or a fireman?" he asked as they stepped into the line.

"Uh, neither actually. I'm a doctor of the allied medicines: speech, occupation and physical therapy. I come to these whenever Puckerman does to support him."

"So you and Puckerman are like dating?"

The shade of Kurt's face almost caused Dave to think he'd been correct, but then Kurt burst out laughing, "God no!" he shook his head. "No," calming down he continued forward in the line. "Puck and I…we have an odd relationship I guess. We're only friends, but he came to New York shortly after Shelby moved back out here with Puck's daughter."

"The kid he had with Quinn, right?"

"Yeah. Anyway she moved back out here to be closer to Rachel, so Puck followed deciding there was nothing in Ohio for him, Shelby had a friend she knew on the force. I honestly didn't realize he was here until my first year as an intern when he was brought in with a bad head wound. We've been close ever since, it helps that his daughter and Chris are best friends and that I met Cheryl during college."

"I've known Becca since I was two," Chris explained as he tried to reach across the table for chips. Kurt stopped him, and handed him the sandwich bun instead.

Dave smiled, "She seems really nice, and I really appreciate you guys including Ellie in your coloring in class these past few days."

Chris beamed at the praise as he continued down the line. Kurt looked at Dave, thanks in his eyes. "So she's your daughter?"

"No, my niece… I'm her legal guardian now. Anyway Wednesday was her first day at Liberty Academy. She had to transfer when she moved in with me, and so I got her into a school where most of my friends send their kids."

"It is one of the best, and Cheryl is a fantastic teacher."

"She seems like it." Suddenly Dave chuckled a little. He smiled at the look Kurt gave him. "Sorry. I just can't get over how small a world it feels like right now. I was thinking about you the other day. It'll be our fifteen-year reunion next year."

Kurt groaned, "I know, don't remind me. I managed to get out of the ten by faking sick. I have the feeling nothing will be able to stop it this time." They exited the line a few moments later, heading back over to the table. The four kids were seated between the adults.

Dave smiled as he looked at Ellie who was looking at the food that had been placed on her plate. None of it was what she was accustomed to eating. "Uncle Dave?" she questioned, leaning in close to him. "Do I have to eat all of this?"

"No, but I'd like to you try and eat some of it."

"There's no peanut butter."

He nodded, trying not to think how eccentric she sounded. "I know sweetie, but you need to eat things other than peanut butter. Come on take a few bites and then I'll let you have some dessert." When he glanced back up he was surprised to see Kurt studying him. "What?"

Kurt blushed ."Sorry, this is just a different side from the man I knew all those years ago."

"Things change. I changed," Dave offered. He didn't feel offended and hoped it didn't sound that way.

"I didn't mean it like that, Dave."

He waved Kurt off. "I know. Clearly we've both changed. Listen I have tonight off, and Ellie was going to spend the night over at Jim and Tori's anyway. I'm sure they wouldn't mind including Chris in the fun if you… if you had any interest in maybe grabbing a bite later and taking a walk.?"

Kurt smiled. "That would be okay."

"Good."

"Careful, Karofsky. You hurt him and I'll kick you," Puckerman warned, eyeing him

"I can take care of myself, thank you," Kurt replied, rolling his eyes but appreciating that Noah would always protect him.

"Uh huh, the message is still the same," Puck repeated. He smiled however at the kids and went back to his dinner. "So who wants to play with me and Uncle Jim? We have squirt guns!"

**o0o**

The picnic began to wind down a few hours later, only after Jim, Dave and Noah all got the chance to play flag football with half the force: cops vs. fireman and family. Kurt had to admit it was a blast watching them play. He hadn't ever been into sports, but he enjoyed watching those he cared about play. Tori and Jim began to pack up to leave, the kids in tow. Kurt gripped his son's hands and smiled. "Call if you need anything. Uncle Noah will be there a majority of tonight. You don't have to spend the night if—"

"Dad, I'm fine," the boy grinned as he pressed a kiss to his father's cheek. "Love you!"

Kurt smiled, "I love you too." He sighed at he watched the boy leave with Becca, Shelly and Ellie, who appeared to be fine as long as she was with others she knew. He glanced back over at Dave who was shuffling his feet and looked stuck somewhere between unsure of what to say or do, and excited to be near him. "So, want to take a walk?"

Dave smiled. "Sounds great."

The sun would be setting soon. They walked away from the picnic where volunteers had started to clean up and take everything home. Those who were on their shifts were leaving or had left already. "So, why the allied health profession, if I can ask?"

"Uh….it's actually very personal. My mother died of a brain tumor when I was eight, had it for almost eighteen months during which time she began to lose mobility and abilities like speech at times as well. At the beginning, when they'd hoped to beat it, she had therapists, physical mostly at the time as occupational hadn't really been greatly delved into at the time, and a speech therapist. The therapist would come twice a week and would always let me watch or help when I could. He was great with Mom and—shockingly—with me. I loved it. It was a special bonding time for me and her."

"That sounds amazing. So you've always wanted to do it then?"

Kurt shrugged as they walked towards the piers. "Yes and no. I didn't start out in medicine when I came to NYU, but after a few failed auditions, and a lot of missed opportunities because my voice was too high, I gave up searching for the grand spotlight. I considered fashion for a little while as well, but when you start doing something every day, if it isn't right, you find out pretty quick that it kills the joy of that thing in the first place. So after a year of searching I decided to go into medicine."

"It suits you, you know. That sucks, but at least you found something cool you liked doing," Dave rationalized.

Kurt smiled, he hadn't really thought of that. He'd thrown himself into medicine because he couldn't do something he loved. "Did you come to New York right after school? I assumed you just wanted to stay in Ohio."

Dave chuckled, "Who wants to stay in Ohio?" They both smiled at that as he was quiet for a moment. "Nah, I was offered a hockey scholarship to OSU, and it was pretty cool at first. I stayed on campus in the dorms and found that kids are a lot different in college. I wasn't on top of any food chain. So I decided to try to be Dave instead of just Karofsky."

"You came out?"

"Not right away, but I told my roommate about half way through the year. He was totally cool with it. Then came out to most of the hockey team, and they all acted pretty awesome about it too. There were a few jerks, but overall most didn't care. I even dated a guy for a few months."

"Good for you, Dave."

They were quiet for another stretch. Kurt could hear the water splashing against the wall that wrapped around parts of the park. He could almost hear the traffic from the city all the way over here. "So how did you end up here in New York?" Kurt finally asked.

"I came out to my folks the summer after my freshman year, and my dad kicked me out. My brother Steven lived here in Jersey, worked in New York, and offered me a place to stay until things settled down."

"I'm so sorry, Dave."

Dave looked at Kurt, confused. "Why? You think because you wanted me to come out that caused this?" He shook his head. "No. Those first few years were the worst years of my life, but the experience was needed. I dated a little in college, found out a few things… I don't like fellow jocks—definitely have a thing for the more…flamboyant guys."

Kurt chuckled. "Good to know."

Dave felt his own cheeks grow red at that. "We broke up after about a year when we both realized it wasn't going to go anywhere beyond having fun together and sex. It was great but it wasn't love. Dated a few other guys off and on but they were all about the same, not the right fit for me. My last boyfriend, Greg, was just over six months ago. We broke it off after three years because he wasn't interested in being together anymore…which sucked. I thought he might have been the one."

"I know that feeling," Kurt replied, his voice quiet with a hint of exhaustion and sadness.

Dave studied him for a long moment. "Judging by your solo routine with your son, and your willingness to go on a walk with me, I'm assuming your single?"

Kurt nodded, "No beating around the bush then."

"Maybe if I'd beat around the bush less in high school we would've had less issues and a better friendship."

"High school wasn't a good time for anyone, Dave. And to answer your question, yes I am single, two years now, actually."

"I'm sorry, Kurt."

Kurt nodded, pursing his lips. "Thank you, it was inevitable though. I loved him, and he was my best friend for a long time. But something was always lacking. It was both of our faults, his for letting his work seep into our lives and mine for allowing it to go on as long as it did. I wish it could've ended differently, or on better terms, but we both made our share of mistakes."

"I always kind of thought he was a douche," Dave smirked, "if it's any consolation." Kurt's laugher over his comment was heartwarming.

"You and everyone else. That's putting it lightly." Kurt smiled as they stopped and leaned against a wall. "It was as amicable as it could've been. The only thing I'd hoped to gain from the split was sparing Chris some pain." Deciding to change the subject he looked at Dave for a long minute. "You said you were Ellie's guardian. Obviously you have a brother. Do you mind me asking what happened?" He saw Dave's hesitance in his eyes and suddenly felt a shock wave of guilt. "You don't have to."

Dave shook his head, "No, I want to. It's been two months tomorrow actually. I have to talk about it sometime. They were headed out of town, going to go look at a bigger house because they wanted to expand their family. It was raining and this other car spun out of control and hit them head on. I was the EMT on duty that afternoon and was the one who reported to the scene. I didn't realize who it was until I saw the car."

Kurt was quiet for a long moment. He didn't want to say he was sorry. He'd always hated it when other people said that to him, and it didn't seem fair to apologize for something that couldn't have been stopped. Instead he just walked quietly.

Dave was the one who finally broke the silence again. "I know I said I was sorry when we were still high school, but I just want to apologize again for what happened. You were different, and I shouldn't have tortured you for that when all I wished was that I could be as comfortable in my own skin as you were."

Kurt looked at Dave, considering his words. "Look, Dave, what happened fifteen years ago was just that: it was fifteen years ago. We aren't ever going to forget all that pain, not tonight. Not ever. But I think we can manage to leave it where it belongs, in the past. We learn from it and move forward."

Dave studied Kurt for a long moment, considering his words. He'd never really thought it possible that Kurt would forgive him, much less venture into any kind of friendship with him. But he felt hope. Maybe he could finally have a shot at what he'd really wanted all those years ago. "You're incredible," Dave finally replied.

Even in the dark, Dave saw Kurt's cheeks turn red as the smaller man shrugged

"Well it's not like I was completely innocent either. What you did with your fists I merely needed words."

"It's not as bad."

Kurt looked surprised. "It's not a contest, David. Abuse is abuse whether verbal, physical or emotional. It still hurts and can kill. It's all bullying and it's all wrong. Are you really telling me you didn't take what I said to you and worry about it?"

"Which part? The chubby guy who sweats too much and will be bald by thirty? Or the frightened little boy who is extraordinarily average?"

Kurt winced, "Not much better. We all have breaking points. I'm very sorry and was clearly very wrong as you still have a full head of hair." Their laugher cut through the quiet summer air. After a few moments, Kurt grew quiet again as he looked down at their joined hands. "I lied," Kurt whispered.

"What?"

"About you not being my type. At the time you weren't my type more because you beat me up, but…I definitely had a thing for jocks. Finn and Sam. I said those things because I wanted to hurt you the way you hurt me." Unsure he wanted to talk about it any further, Kurt switched subjects. "It's getting darker. We should probably head back to our cars."

"Yeah…probably," Dave replied, kicking a little at the gravel. He turned and looked at Kurt. "Here's my phone number…in case you're ever interested in you know going out or something."

Kurt smiled, as they traded phone numbers, "I've got a couple busy weeks at work coming up, but I'd definitely like to go out sometime."

"Great," They stopped at Kurt's SUV first, "It was good seeing you again, Kurt."

Kurt nodded, "You too."

"Hey Kurt," Dave paused before Kurt could pull away. "I have to go to work tomorrow night, but would you like to have breakfast with me and Ellie tomorrow? At a little café's, it's a little diner over by St. Christopher, the stop right before Hoboken?"

"Mimi's!"

"You know it?" Dave asked surprised, smiling.

Kurt laughed, "I love that place, I've been going there for years. Chris will be with me as well."

Dave smiled, "The more the merrier."

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews! I apologize this is a little later than I wanted it to be, it's been a crazy week both at work and at home! I hope you all enjoy this, as I begin to set up for the second story of this series, I've been considering some things I want to see. I know it's early in the series, but if there is anything in ****particular you'd like to see in this series (whether as a short story) or as a part of the next story let me know. Plenty of time to reply! **

**Chapter Three –**

Kurt arrived at Mimi's with Chris in tow and stepped inside to find that David had already arrived and was seated in a booth, drinking a mug of coffee from the looks of it. He had on a pair of jeans and a dark blue shirt with the fireman's emblem on the front.

"Kurt," Mimi greeted as she gave the man a quick hug and ruffled Chris' hair. "Can I get you two a table?" Mimi was an older woman in her fifties or sixties by now. She had silver hair and a beautiful smile that could wow anyone.

"No, actually, I'm joining Dave."

"Oh, well wonderful. He's a good guy that one. Let me know when ya'll are ready to order."

Kurt made his way over and slid into the booth. Dave glanced at him and smiled. "Good morning," Dave offered as the two sat down. Ellie was already entranced in some coloring Mimi had given her.

"Morning. Hi, Ellie. How are you two this morning?"

Ellie glanced up and smiled shyly at Kurt before going back to her coloring. "Busy evening?" he asked. He'd picked up Chris nearly an hour ago from Noah's and Ellie had already been gone by that time.

Dave nodded, "We had a little emergency call last night. Someone needed her uncle after a nightmare."

"I'm sorry," Kurt replied, feeling bad for both of them. Dave probably got so little sleep as it was and Ellie looked exhausted.

Dave shrugged, not replying. He smiled as Chris reached across. "Can I help?" Chris asked politely. Ellie looked up at Chris, considering him for a moment before nodding, and soon the two were coloring together.

"So, if it's all right, I have to ask. Who's his mother?"

Kurt smirked. "What makes you think it's not some donor?"

"You grew up without your mother, I remember. Something tells me you'd never willingly do that to your own child."

Kurt smiled, feeling his stomach clench at the memory of his mother. "It's true. It was Rachel Berry."

"You two make very beautiful babies. So obviously you've stayed in touch?"

"Well, Rachel's the only one who actually succeeded at making it big, sadly. Finn is honestly the only other person that I'm regularly in contact with. I wouldn't even be in contact with Puckerman if it weren't for the fact that he came into the ER. We've been hanging around ever since."

"Huh, I always assumed you guys would all just stay in contact."

Kurt shrugged, "I guess people grow up. Finn is doing well though; he's the phys ed teacher and football coach at McKinley now."

"Awesome," Dave grinned. "That's great, and he's happy?"

"Very. He's married and they have a two year old daughter who is…unbelievably ornery. She's prefect. They're happy together."

"How's your Dad?" Dave recalled Kurt's dad having a heart attack their junior year.

Kurt smiled, "He's doing well. They're all actually coming to visit next weekend. He and Carole, Finn's mom, had a daughter Alex about two years after we graduated. She'll be starting at McKinely next year. Did you stay in contact with your football friends?"

"Nah, me and Azimio parted ways shortly after I came to New York. I think he heard and was less than thrilled. Hell I don't remember, and I don't really care. Once I came here I pretty much made it my life's goal to leave Ohio behind me. The only person I really keep in contact with is Santana."

"Really, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Being each other's beards must have brought you closer."

Dave nodded, "It did. She's a dentist now actually. On the weekends she teaches rock climbing and is married to Brittany who is currently running diner in Lima. And when I say running I really mean Santana manages like 80% of it and poor Brittany just waits on people."

"That's fantastic. And I know what you mean about leaving Ohio behind. I had a similar goal. So since you asked me a personal question, it's my turn. Are you openly gay as a fireman?"

Dave nodded, "I mean I don't obviously run around and flaunt it or anything, but I was honest from the beginning. When they all talked about their wives, I had a boyfriend for a short period of time, and they'd let me talk about mine. Most of them are cool with it. We've got a couple others in the other station, so we're a fairly open minded group. There's always some that don't approve but we just don't talk about it with them. I've definitely found it's easier to be honest and respected than lie and force respect."

"I'm proud of you David, I really am."

"Thanks that means more than you know."

Mimi stepped up to the table, smiling. "Howdy boys, what can I get you?"

"Dad, can I have pancakes?"

Kurt glanced over at his son. "Mimi can you get him the usual? Also I'd like my usual."

"Coffee today, or tea?"

"Coffee please."

"All right. Dave, what about you, sweetie?"

"Um, I think I'll have my usual as well. Can you add a few extra strips of bacon? And Ellie here would like some oatmeal."

She nodded, writing everything down. "Sure thing boys, I'll bring a refill for you when I come back with Kurt's coffee."

"Thanks."

Chris looked at his dad. "I wanted pancakes."

Kurt sighed, "And you're getting two, but you can't just eat sweets. We've talked about this, Christopher. Fruit too, please."

"Dad let—" The boy stopped short, realizing what he was about to say. He looked at his father, wincing as Kurt raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, no please, feel free to finish that remark."

"Nothankyou," Chris said quickly as he stared down at the table.

Kurt sighed as he looked at his son and dropped a kiss to the boy's head. "I know your father lets you get away with some things, Chris, but fruit is better for you, I promise. You'll thank me when you try out for that football league you wanted in the fall and you can run faster than some of the other boys."

Dave chuckled, "That's for sure. What position do you want to be, kiddo?"

"Running-back or kicker. Daddy was a kicker."

"The best we ever had," Dave replied, winking at Kurt.

"You played with Daddy?" Chris' eyes grew wide as he grinned.

"Only briefly, but he was great. If you ever want help, let me know. I'll be happy to help you practice."

"Can we, Dad?"

Kurt smiled, thankful that David had changed the subject so quickly. "I think that would be a great idea."

"Can we go to the park today!" Chris erupted excitedly, looking up at them.

Kurt glanced at Dave. He really did look exhausted. "Maybe next time, Peanut."

"Nah it's cool, I don't have to be to work until nine tonight. Honestly on days when I don't work, if I sleep the whole day I don't do well on days when I do work. So I try to stay up as late as I can. He'll just help me sleep better."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's totally cool. It'll be nice to get out today."

"All right, well, I need to make a call. It's Rachel's week with Chris so she'll be picking him up around noon."

"Sounds good. So how does that work exactly? Having three parents?"

"Some days are better than others," Kurt replied. "I have majority custody over Chris; I get him nine months out of the year, which Rachel has only requested one week a month to spend with him when she's not doing a show. And for the three months of the summer, Chris is with Blaine."

"Well at least he's got a lot of people who love him."

Kurt smiled warmly as he ran his hand through Chris' hair. The boy was oblivious to the conversation as he furiously tried to work his way through the maze on the paper. "Yes he does. You seem to be doing great with Ellie, despite everything."

Dave shrugged, "I was there the day she was born. She's incredible. I can't get enough of her." The look on Dave's face was unlike anything Kurt had ever seen before. He completely understood what it felt like to love someone else more than loving yourself. He'd felt that way since the moment he knew Rachel was pregnant. But to see it reflected in a man's face that he'd assumed couldn't love that way, was… an eye opener to say the least. He looked back down at Chris who had devoured both his pancakes and was now eating some cantaloupe and sipping his milk occasionally. He glanced back at Dave and realized that they were on the same level. They were no longer two boys that stood in different spots in the high school pecking order.

"You're very good with her."

"Thanks, Annie was a big help. I was spending most of my time over there anyway shortly after she was born, so Annie showed me a lot of stuff. And teaching fire safety at school helps. Wouldn't do us much good if we scared the kids rather than made sure they knew how to protect themselves. "

They finished their breakfast with idle chit-chat about David's loathing for the Rangers despite living in New York, the plans for a convention Kurt was headed to in a few months, and how school had changed since they had been kids.

It was nearing nine by the time they left the café. Kurt followed Dave in his Lincoln. He dialed Rachel's number. "Hi Kurt," she greeted with her usual exuberance.

"Hey Rachel, I'm on my way to Liberty Park with Chris if you want to swing by at noon to pick him up."

"I'll be there."

Dave spent the next few hours showing Chris how to hold and throw the ball while Kurt taught him how to punt. By the time Rachel arrived, Chris was sweaty and worn out but wearing a huge grin.

Kurt had to admit he was grinning a bit too. It was nice to feel like one of the guys even if he didn't enjoy sports to the extreme the way Dave or his dad or Finn did. He had developed a finer appreciation for watching football during his relationship with Blaine, but Dave's passion was for playing it.

Equally, it brought back memories of feeling like he was a part of something bigger. Playing with Chris and Dave was fun and unexpected. It added something to his day that he hadn't anticipated. He was now seated on a park bench with Ellie at his side who was giggling at the site of her uncle and Chris tackling each other.

Rachel's car pulled into a parking spot at the park a few minutes later, and she stepped out to watch for a few minutes. "Christopher! How's my beautiful boy?" she grinned as he son ran to her. She swept him up in her arms, whirling him around. She kissed him on the cheek before turning back to Kurt and, to her surprise, David. "Karofsky?"

"Rachel, how are you?" he addressed, smiling at her. "I'd shake your hand but I'm sweaty."

Her shock gave way to a warm smile. There wasn't a hint of malice or meanness in his tone like they had been used to in high school. If anything he seemed pleased to see her, and it was clear that Kurt and Chris hadn't run into him by accident. "I can see that." She looked at her son who was panting slightly but grinning from ear to ear. "How are you, David?"

"I'm good."

"And who is this beautiful little girl?" Rachel asked, looking at Ellie who was trying to hide behind Kurt playfully.

"That's my niece, Ellie. Ellie, this is Ms. Berry."

Rachel waved him off. "You can call me Rachel, sweetie."

"I like your hair."

Rachel smiled. She'd worn it up in a loose bun today, leaving pieces hanging.

"Well thank you, sweetie. Well, it was nice to see you, but I want to get this stinky little boy home to wash up so we can go ahead and go to the museum."

"Oooh, the science museum?" Chris questioned, still breathing heavily. He snuggled up close to his mother. He loved the museum. He liked to learn about the different planets most of all.

"Uncle Dave Could I go?" Ellie asked quietly.

Dave looked at Kurt, then Rachel, not wanting to impose. "I'll take you next weekend, sweetie."

"Nonsense," Rachel grinned. "If she wants to go, she's welcome to tag along. I can drop her off later."

"Actually I have to work later. It's too complicated, really."

"Rachel can drop her off with me. Would that be okay, Ellie? We can watch movies and I'll even paint your nails?" Kurt grinned.

"Oooh, that sounds fun! Can I? Please Uncle Dave! Pretty please?"

Dave rolled his eyes. He knelt down and dropped a kiss to her forehead. "All right, you may go." She threw her arms around his neck in excitement. Holding her for a moment, he then drew back. "I'll pick you up from Mr. Kurt's first thing tomorrow, but be on your best behavior for Rachel and Mr. Kurt, okay?"

"I will, I promise."

Chris grinned as Rachel put him down, and they headed to Rachel's car. Seeing the kids headed away, she quickly kissed Kurt on the cheek. "Call me if you need anything."

"Thanks, Rachel." Kurt pressed a quick kiss to his son's head, making a huge gesture of wiping the sweat from his face while his son giggled.

Kurt smiled as he looked over at Dave. "Well, we appear to have wasted an entire morning so far."

"You have any plans for this afternoon?" Dave asked.

"None that I can think of, which is unusual for me," Kurt replied. Normally he would occupy himself with some cases, not that he couldn't get them done during the week. This was really the first opportunity he was presented with that he could take time out of his day and spend it with someone just for fun.

Dave considered Kurt's words for a moment. Fifteen years ago, spending time with Kurt outside of high school would've scared the hell out of him. But now he'd grown up some, and he realized that there really wasn't anything wrong with who he was. He didn't know if they'd end up dating or if he could ever convince Kurt to be anything more than friends, but he was willing to try because there was no kidding himself that the tug in his heart, the clench in his gut over seeing the man's face light up, was still there. When he'd run into Kurt yesterday it felt like an answer to some bigger request in his life. He'd been looking for more, wanting more, but hadn't found the right person.

Maybe it was because he knew deep down, or he'd at least thought deep down, that he'd ruined whatever chances he had with that one person. That was a lot of sentimental bullshit, even for Dave Karofsky, but he couldn't wait to see what came out of this afternoon. "Well I don't know about you, but I need a shower. I don't have any plans till at least four…so…do you want to go see a movie or something?"

Kurt smirked, "Why David Karofsky, are you asking me on a date?" He'd long since forgiven Karofsky, and while there was no way he'd ever really forget what happened, enough time had passed that Kurt could see there was much more to this man than there had once been.

David sniggered, "Only if you want to see it as a date." _Please say yes_, he thought silently to himself.

"A movie could be fun… but I have a better idea. Have you ever seen the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island?"

"You know, fifteen years here and I actually haven't."

Kurt nodded, as if that answered all his questions. He put his arm through Dave's and smiled. "Right then. Let's clean up and we'll have an adventure!"

"Did you want to meet somewhere?" David questioned, not wanting to presume that Kurt would come to his house, or that he'd go to Kurt's.

Kurt studied him for a long minute. "My apartments about twenty minutes from here."

"Mine is right around the corner if you don't mind waiting. Would… would you be okay with that? Also that way I can give you some clothes for Ellie and her toothbrush."

"That's fine. I have a change of clothes in my car that I always take to work just in case."

Kurt followed Dave to his house, surprised to find it was just outside the city in a nice little neighborhood. It was only one story. It was an off-white color with green shutters and a black door. They both parked in the driveway. "Nice house," Kurt said as they headed inside.

David opened the door and Kurt smiled. It wasn't at all what he'd expected based on Dave's unsophisticated tastes in high school. The walls in the living room and kitchen were painted in pale greens and blues, and the house felt comfortable without being overly large. Kurt liked how the front door led to the living room, and attached were the dining room and kitchen. There was a door off to the right of the dining room, and he wondered if that led to an attic or something. There was a short hallway to the right of the living room, and one bedroom right off the hallway.

"You can see my living room, and kitchen. I'll give you the tour." Dave led Kurt back over to the hallway and pointed to a decorated bedroom. "This is Ellie's room." The door right next to it led to a guest room. "This is the bathroom," he opened the door to a red and black room.

"Very chic, David. I love the way you colored everything."

"Thanks, I have a little taste, and Annie, my brother's wife helped me pick the right colors for the rooms. I had a general sense of what I wanted." He opened the last room all the way at the end of the hall. "And this is my bedroom. I have a bathroom attached, so I'll shower in there if you'd like to take a shower."

"Sure, I have an extra set of clothes in my car anyway."

Thirty minutes later Kurt headed out of the bathroom dressed in clean clothes, and looked around the house. David wasn't done yet, but the water had shut off so Kurt headed back into the living room and smiled at some of the pictures lining the wall. There were several of David and Ellie and some of Dave and two people who Kurt presumed were his brother and sister-in-law. Kurt smiled at one picture of David with his degree standing there with his brother. They both looked so proud.

"That was one of the best days of my life," Dave's voice startled him.

Kurt turned and smiled at the man. "You lost a lot of weight. You look good in this."

Kurt would've sworn Dave blushed, before he spoke. "Thank you, so you ready to show me the town?" He held out a small backpack that must have been Ellie's. "I put in a pair of pjs, her hairbrush, tooth brush and toothpaste. Also an extra pair of clothes for tomorrow morning."

"Great. So, my car or yours?"

"Yours. I don't have any sense of real direction."

"All right then, let's go!"

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews again! This is by far one of my favorite series I have right now. Forgive me if I'm not updating quite as often as I could be, I'm crazy busy between work and school. I hope you enjoy this chapter there was some extensive editing going on this so I'm hoping it came out the way I wanted it to. Please enjoy and remember to review, it keeps me going!**

**Chapter Four – **

They took the ferry from the Liberty Park. Kurt paid for them both since Dave had been rather sly in paying for breakfast this morning. "So how is it you've lived here for fifteen years and have never come to see them up close?"

"Oh stop judging," joked Dave. "I just didn't really have the time, honestly, between getting caught up with school and then working such odd hours. It never really struck me as something to do. And I didn't want to go alone. I've seen them from afar obviously."

"I'll be honest, I probably made Blaine take me every couple years. I love these two places, especially Ellis Island. My great grandparents came over here from German. She and her mother were sent away by her father to keep them from being forced into a concentration camp."

"That's incredible, I don't know that sorta stuff about my family, never really asked though."

"Dad told me when I was little. I always had this fascination with love stories, and Dad was pretty proud of our heritage. Once I was old enough he told me about all of it. My favorite part of Ellis Island is searching for the family names. It's very cool."

When they arrived, the whole building looked very Roman with its large spires. "It's beautiful." Dave stared up in awe.

"People used to say they knew they were coming to a land of opportunity. My great grandmother said she cried when he saw Lady Liberty the first time. It is rather overwhelming."

They stepped inside. The first thing in front of them was a pile of luggage that spanned the entire length of nearly the whole room, big luggage, old luggage, small all shapes and sizes were piled several feet high and several feet long. "Wow."

Kurt smiled as they wandered around the building, looking at all the pictures. "This is amazing that all these people came through these doors. Can you imagine being one of them?"

"They must have been terrified."

"Or relieved. My dad once told me that when everyone arrived, they had to have a check-up. If they didn't pass, they had to be quarantined for a period of time." Kurt stopped by a little computer. "Type your last name in."

Dave smiled and quickly typed it in. He was surprised to find a Dafyd Karofsky in the system. "This place is really cool. I can't believe I never made it here."

Kurt looked back up at the building and nodded. "You ready to head to the Statue of Liberty?"

"Sure." They made their way back outside to wait for the next ferry. "Can I ask a personal question?" Dave asked.

"I guess, as long as it's okay to not answer."

"You said he just asked for a divorce? Did he even talk to you about it?"

Kurt paused, considering his next words. Two years ago he'd have blamed everything on Blaine. But that wasn't fair and despite that they didn't get along as well as he'd hoped, they still cared deeply for one another. "It wasn't entirely his fault, as I mentioned. And we did try to make things work, and they did work for the first eight years. We had a kid to try and make it better, but instead we only succeeded in hurting him too. Things got really bad right after Blaine lost a huge case about three years ago. A rapist and killer was somehow proven innocent and walked out a free man. Three weeks later another girl around five was killed. It destroyed Blaine. He started drinking." Kurt closed his eyes recollecting the final weeks and months of his marriage. "It all went downhill from there, rather rapidly I might add."

"I'm really sorry, Kurt. You deserved to be happy."

Kurt gave him a rueful smile. "Apparently the universe didn't get the memo." He shrugged, "Anyway, so now Blaine lives in Boston, and I'm left to raise our son while Blaine tries to work out his issues and I work out mine."

"Shit."

"Yeah," Kurt murmured as his eyes stared straight ahead. He wasn't going to show weakness. He'd been through that. He wasn't the same man he used to be and he wasn't a child anymore. He was tired of everyone seeing him as fragile. Kurt was surprised when he felt a hand on his shoulder. When he looked into the eyes of Dave Karofsky it felt like he was really seeing him, seeing someone he'd only seen once so many years ago, the boy who had cried in front of him for the briefest of moments. He was seeing the real man David, Dave to his friends. Not Karofsky. "Thank you," Kurt murmured, he hadn't told anyone the whole story, aside from his father. It felt good to really discuss it.

Dave didn't remove his hand. He kept it there, warming Kurt's shoulder. For the first time in two years, Kurt was beginning to feel like maybe he could get out of the dark pit he'd been buried in. "The ferry is here," Dave spoke, his voice soft.

They got on board and rode towards the Statue of Liberty. Dave looked up, unable to take his eyes off her. "She's beautiful."

Kurt nodded, deciding at that moment, whether with David or someone else, he was going to give whatever this was a shot. He was tired of feeling beaten and dragged down, and he was tired of feeling alone. "I can see why people fell in love with our country," Dave said as they stepped off onto the island.

To Kurt's surprise, Dave didn't seem in any hurry to relinquish his grip. They walked around the pedestal for a few minutes. "Do you want to see if we can go up to the pedestal? It's not prime tour season, so we might be able to get in quicker?"

Dave grinned, "Sure."

The security guards confirmed that there was only one tour of about twelve people up there now, and agreed to let the two men go up. They hadn't brought much with them so the security check points were quick and easy. They went up to the base of her feet and looked around. "You can see almost all of New York." Dave stared in wonder.

"I love this city."

Kurt leaned against the wall of the pedestal, looking out over the water. "Why peanut butter?"

"Huh?" Dave felt like an idiot as soon as the word came out of his mouth.

Kurt glanced at him. "Why does Ellie only want to eat peanut butter?"

"She and her mom had just gotten into an argument I guess about the type of sandwich she could have, they didn't have a whole lot of time before they had to leave and Anne had made a peanut butter sandwich because it was quick. I guess Ella threw a temper tantrum over it. A friend of mine is a child psychologist, and she thinks it's El's way of coping, doing something to retain those memories of her mother."

"She seems like a good kid, Dave."

"She is." He shrugged and took up the same stance as Kurt, leaning against the wall. "It's a little odd. I've known Ellie since the day she was born. I always knew it was a lot of work for Anne and Steve, but I never realized just how difficult being a parent is. She didn't use to be this shy, back when her folks were alive. She was always so bubbly and cute. She smiled at everyone. I picked her up once from the nursery when she was really little, and all the caretakers could say was what a beautiful smile she had."

"My dad was positive that after my mother died I'd never smile again." Kurt looked over at Dave. "It takes time to heal from that, for you and her both. Just treat her like you normally would. You can't lessen the impact, but you can help the pain. It'll heal over time."

"I can't help but feel like she got a raw deal. She's only seven and already her life is disappointing," Dave replied.

Kurt laid his hand on Dave's forearm, gently rubbing his thumb in small circles. He stared back out at the sea, neither one meeting the other's eyes. "I don't think it's disappointing at all. She learned tragedy early on, but it doesn't mean she can't still be happy. That you can't still be happy."

Dave considered Kurt's words for a moment. before he looked over at the nurse. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Kurt chuckled, scooting forward slightly as a tourist move past them.

"When are you going to let yourself be happy again?"

Kurt scoffed at that for a moment. "I am happy."

"Really?"

Kurt didn't look at him, not quite willing to meet his eyes yet. "No. I keep thinking Chris needs a proper father. Plenty of people can raise a child as a single parent, but I don't know if I can. I love him, but we're so different."

"He adores you."

"Doesn't matter. My father struggled sometimes to raise me. He did an amazing job, but I watched him and could just see how much he wished my mother was around. Happiness is a dream."

"I think it's attainable."

Kurt finally met Dave's eyes. They held a look Kurt wasn't quite sure what to call, It didn't feel or look like pity, but it wasn't love or lust. "I wish I knew how to be happy."

Dave moved a little closer, knocking his shoulder against Kurt's. "Stop trying so damn hard," he grinned as Kurt laughed. "Let it work out itself. You've spent the past two years trying to fix your life, and you've done well. It's time to move on. Your son is happy right now, at least a majority of the time, and I think it's time to focus on you being happy to."

"And how do you suggest I do that?" Kurt quirked an eyebrow.

Dave looked at him and studied his every facial feature. "Can I kiss you?"

"Why are you asking?"

"Because last time I didn't, and I don't want a repeat."

Kurt swallowed a little before he leaned forward and he met Dave's lips. It wasn't violent like the kiss had been in high school, and it wasn't hesitant like Blaine's had been. It was a simple kiss, but it felt like a door was opened. Kurt pulled back he looked at Dave, grinning. "Was that a good first step?"

Dave laughed out loud. He threw an arm around Kurt's shoulders and pulled him close, hugging him for a moment before they relaxed back against the pedestal. "I think it's the start of something good," Dave replied.

o0o

They headed back to Dave's house after a little more walking, Kurt considered Dave as they moved across the water on the ferry. He'd never really thought Dave would make a good boyfriend, but he found himself willing to give it a shot. Dave was right that Kurt hadn't focused on himself at all in the past two years. He had spent far too much time getting down on himself. Maybe it was time to find out if there was such a thing as romance and happiness again.

Dave opened the door to his house and looked at Kurt. "I had a great time." That sounded cliché, but Dave had meant it.

"Me too. We'll have to have another adventure the next time you're off for the day."

"Sounds great." Dave leaned in, thankful when Kurt did the same, and their lips met in another kiss. "You have my number now so you call me anytime."

"I will." With one last kiss, Kurt headed to his car, driving off.

Dave smiled as he closed the door, closing his eyes. Fifteen years ago he'd been desperate to show Kurt this side of him, to tell him what he really felt. He'd been so terrified. Now all he could think about was that Kurt was willing to give him a second chance and that he was willing to test the waters. Dave didn't know if they'd end up being anything more than friends, but he was praying they would end up being much more.

Kurt wasn't thinking much differently. He'd been nervous seeing Dave at the picnic yesterday. Now he was thrilled. His and Blaine's split had been messy, but they'd been apart for two years now. Blaine hadn't waited very long to move away or to move on, and Kurt hadn't stopped him, but it had been two years since he'd really been with anyone. He was sure some people would suggest that even two years was too quick, but he remembered Noah telling him to get back up on the horse soon. Maybe Dave was just what he needed to do that.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Stopping at the red light, he pulled it out and smiled at the sight of Nancy's name on the screen. "My favorite sister-in-law."

"_I'm your only one, goofy. How's it going?_"

"Well… better than I expected."

"_Dear brother, is that a smile I detect in your voice. Did you meet a boy?_"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'm thirty, Nancy. Could you make me sound less like a pedophile?"

She sniggered on the other side. "_Sorry. So tell me now before your brother gets home and demands to hear too! You know me, I love having the juicy gossip before everyone else._"

"Where is Finn?" Kurt questioned as he glanced in both directions before moving into the intersection.

"_He's at the shop with your dad, finishing a few things up_."

Kurt smiled. Finn had become partners in ownership of the auto shop to help Burt out. He worked there a little on the weekends and during the summer too. It helped Kurt feel that his father was safe, not that he didn't trust the men his dad had hired. He did, but Finn was just extra security, and it gave Finn a little extra money when he wasn't teaching. "I may have met someone, yes."

"_And_?"

"Nance, it's been less than one day. Give me a break. For right now I'm just enjoying the company of someone other than my seven-year-old son."

"_I know that feeling. You never told me that having a kid would take up all my time!" _

"Sorry," Kurt laughed. They both loved being parents, but who were they if they couldn't complain about the difficulties of being a parent once in a while? "So is that the only reason you called? Your gossip senses tingled?"

"_No, actually Finn and I are trying to plan a little vacation. I know it's the school year now, so it'll only be a long weekend, but any chance you want to take Laura for a little while? It wouldn't be until around the beginning of next year, but it would be a huge help_."

"Nancy, you know I'm happy to take her, but I don't really understand why you want to come all the way out here to give me a baby for four days when you have her grandma and grandpa right there? Not to mention a perfectly willing younger sibling who enjoys the money."

"_Well, your mom and dad have apparently decided it's time to celebrate their semi-retirement once your sister is out of high school. They're already talking about taking a vacation at the end of the school year. And Finn and I have recently been discussing possibly moving at some point… so we really wouldn't be that out of the way since we'd be moving to New Jersey._"

"Wait… what?" Kurt's eyebrows shot up. "Finn wants to leave Carole and Dad?"

"_No, but he wants more of a challenge, and he's been offered the opportunity to be a Head football coach and gym teacher at the beginning of next year in a school in Jersey, and he wants to come check it out_. _And while he loves his job as the coach at McKinley he wants to consider leaving Ohio, plus this is a private school and they're more well known for their arts too, so he can work with the Glee Club as well and know that his football players won't give him issues._"

"Why hasn't he told me any of this!"

"_Because I wanted to surprise you, jerk_," Finn's voice came on over the phone.

Kurt smiled, "That's fantastic! Are you going to take it? It would be amazing having you around here. Don't get me wrong. I like knowing Mom and Dad have someone down there, but yeah, if you are going to get a better job that would be great, Finn!"

"_I'm glad you think so. I'm pretty excited about it. Truth is I've been scoping it out for about a year now or so, and this was one of the first schools to get back to me. They just lost their Glee club and football teacher, and since I have a history of both they are interested, they also mentioned that there may be opportunity for growth in the position, which obviously there isn't here at McKinley._

"Well I'm very proud of you!" Kurt sighed as he headed into his apartment. "I'll be happy to take Laura for you. Just let me know when. What are Mom and Dad's thoughts?"

"_I haven't actually told them yet. They knew I was looking, and we all knew it was a possibility it would take me farther away, but they have each other and Alex it'll be okay. And Mom has mentioned a couple times that Dad wouldn't mind being closer to you. So who knows? We could all be up there within a few years_."

"That's great, Finn. I'm so excited for you."

"_We're pretty excited too. Listen, I've got to go. Nancy's making dinner and Laura is fussing. I'll talk to you later_?"

"I'd say."

"_Okay. Later, Kurt._"

"Bye, Finn." Kurt smiled. He couldn't help but feel like maybe things were starting to look up. While he did have Noah and he had his son, Kurt longed for his family again but knew he could never return to Ohio. He could visit, but living there was out of the question. He belonged here in on the east coast.

**o0o**

"So you're friend Kurt seems cool," Jim commented that night as they drove down the road in the ambulance. It wasn't unusual for most of the fireman to have a second job as an EMS. When Dave had come onto the team, Jim had offered him the opportunity to ride in the ambulance for a nice as back up, and Dave had loved it.

"Pull into the McDonalds. I'm in the mood for ice cream," Dave replied.

Jim pulled into the parking lot and put the window down in the drive-through, quickly ordering a McFlurry and an ice cream cone for himself. He paid for both and then handed Dave the McFlurry. "You dating him?"

Dave rolled his eyes as he ate his McFlurry. "I fail to see how that's any of your business."

"So you're screwing him."

"Dude." Dave looked at him. "I respect your wife and you're private relationship. Shut up and respect mine."

"Sorry," Jim mumbled as he licked his cone. "Seriously though, you two looked like deer in headlights or something when you saw each other. What was that about?"

"You don't give up do you?"

Jim huffed, acting offended. "Look, Davey, I'm your best friend. You were my best man at my wedding. For god's sakes, you're the godfather of my kids. I'm honestly not trying to pry. I just want to make sure you're cool, he's cool, and that everyone's cool."

"We're cool," Dave huffed, pausing he decided it was best to explain now than later. "If I tell you, promise to not act like a douche?"

"Uh, no. But I promise to be a better friend."

"We knew each other in high school."

"Like knew how? Boyfriends, sex buddies…enemies?"

"The later, more specifically… I tortured him. I was a bully."

Jim screwed up his face in surprise. "Dude, you don't really seem like a bully type. I mean, sure I've seen you push around some really stupid people but bullying?"

"Yeah, well a lot's changed since then, man, but back in high school I was a closet case. I didn't know who I was and I lived in a small city, so if one person knew you were a gay… everyone knew. I didn't want that to happen."

"Because of your old man?"

"That and some other stuff."

Jim nodded. "I'm assuming Kurt was not, however, a closet case?"

"No, though I must admit he's become more subtle with age. No, he used to wear these outfits… It's like he wanted attention or something. My friends, or at least who I thought were friends back then, used to torture him. We threw him in dumpsters. I slammed him into lockers daily and all sorts of shit. Hell, a couple of the guys threw pee balloons at him and nailed his lawn furniture to his roof."

"Shit." Jim paused, "Not the same day… right?"

"No," Dave replied, thankful that Jim was taking it all in stride. "We were terrible to him. We abused him day in and day out, did all sorts of stuff—anything that made him want to leave the school."

"So what changed? I mean obviously something had to because he didn't run for the hills when he saw your face. God knows if you'd done that shit to me, I'd have either killed you or ran."

"One day, our junior year, shortly after he met this other annoying gay kid, he decided to fight back. He's lucky I really was a closet case who just had it bad for him and not some killer. I threw his phone and slammed him into a locker, hard enough to leave bruises, and he chased after me into the boys locker room. We argued. Both of us called each other names until finally he'd spewed so much of his own hatred about how ignorant I was that I kissed him."

Jim was silent. He just looked over at Dave, his eyes wide. "Dude, you were fucked up."

"I know."

"What happened then?"

Dave sighed, "I tried to kiss him again, but he pushed me away so I ran out. I threatened to kill him a few days later and he changed schools. But the damage was already done. I was so hurt and terrified by what I'd done that I couldn't get over it, and not having him at school was killing me. So towards the end of the year, I gave him a formal apology in front of our parents and the principal. Kurt returned to school, and I started trying to protect him instead. A girl and me—Santana, you've met her—created this group called the Bully Whips to stop bullying. It worked too, not just for Kurt but for everyone. Then we went to prom, Kurt brought his…boyfriend, and I was with Santana as my beard. It was all going great… until I was named Prom King."

"Dude, that's awesome."

"No, it wasn't because Kurt was named Prom Queen. He ran for it, terrified out of his mind, I imagine, and humiliated."

"Did he come back?"

Dave smiled, "He was so strong, even then. He was always this strong guy. It's no wonder he lasted as long as he did with his spirit. Yeah he came back in, took his scepter and crown, said 'eat your heart out Kate Middleton' and offered to even dance with me."

"But you didn't do it."

"No, I was too afraid. By then I had it so deeply ingrained that I was wrong, he was wrong, and that we'd be killed if I came out. I couldn't. And I was so in love with him that I couldn't get him to see past the stupid boyfriend."

"Wow… You really have changed. That doesn't seem like you at all." Jim paused, "I am sorry for making fun of you. Are you dating him?"

"I don't know yet. We walked for a long time last night. Then we went to breakfast this morning and went to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I hope we're dating because it's pretty fun."

Jim chuckled, "He seems good for you, Dave. I'd like to see you happy, and I'm sure Steve would too if he were here."

"I wish he was."

Jim reached over and gripped Dave's shoulder. "I know. I'll try and make it better."

"You always have, Jim."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews! You'll all be happy to know that I have started on the second part of this series. So there will be at least two stories. **

**Chapter Five –**

Rachel brought Ellie home around seven, waving goodbye to the sweet girl, then heading back to her little car. Ellie looked up at Kurt nervously. "So…what's your favorite movie?" he asked sweetly as he led her into the living room.

"Beauty and the Beast," she replied finally after sitting on the couch.

"Really? That's my favorite, that and Mulan."

"Do you have them?"

Forty-five minutes later, Kurt had pushed the coffee table aside so they could lie on the floor slumber party style, pop corn, pizza and juice sat in front of them. Ellie was giggling about something on the TV, while Kurt French braided her hair, all the while chatting animatedly about how she loved Mulan. Kurt's cell phone vibrated on the table, he glanced to see it was Dave and smiled, "I bet he's calling for you," Kurt handed her the phone so she could answer.

"Hello? Uncle Dave!" She grinned from ear to ear. Kurt rose, taking the pizza back into the kitchen, listening half to the one sided conversation. "We're watching Mulan and talking. Yeah it's fun. He even painted my toenails for me!" She paused and giggled, "It's okay you don't do it, I don't mind, you don't make them pretty and straight anyway." She must have been listening because a few minutes elapsed before she spoke again. "You're out rescuing people tonight, aren't you?" Kurt smiled at that, Ellie was very astute. "I know. I miss you, but I'm glad you're helping someone. I love you Uncle Dave." She paused one last time before he heard, "I'll go get him."

She wandered into the kitchen a moment later and handed Kurt the phone expectantly. Kurt took it from her and smiled, "It's getting late sweetheart, and you have school tomorrow, why don't you go get ready for bed."

"Okay, night Mr. Kurt, night Uncle Dave!" She called before hurrying down the apartment hallway. Kurt could practically feel his heart melt, that girl would be the end of any resolve he ever had.

"Dave?"

_"Hey, Fancy, how's everything going?" _

The old nickname sparked a hit of irritation before Kurt realized it was being used in a different tone. He felt his ire go down and smiled. "All is quiet, she's a wonderful girl."

"_Yes, she is. Are you okay taking her to school, because if not I can pick her up first." _

"Dave, it's not like I don't know where the school is. I'll get her to school and you can pick her up tomorrow. She's welcome over here anytime."

"_Thank you, Kurt. I'll pick her up after school tomorrow and then we'll have dinner as a family, sound good?_"

Kurt grinned, "Sounds wonderful. Have a good evening."

Dave smiled as he hung up the phone. Jim walked across the parking lot, and got into the ambulance, handing Dave a bag with food in it. "How's Ellie?"

"She's having a great time with Kurt. Ready to get back on the clock?"

Jim nodded, taking another bite of his burrito, "You bet man, another ten hours."

Meanwhile, Kurt stepped into the guest room to find Ellie had cuddled under the heavy blankets, "All right, how about a story?" He questioned as he stepped over and sat down next to her on the bed.

"Mr. Kurt, can I tell you something, if you promise not to tell Uncle Dave?"

Kurt scooted down as they were face to face, lying beside one another, "You can tell me anything sweetie, but if it's something bad I'm going to have to tell him, okay?"

She seemed to consider this for a moment, before speaking, "I miss my mommy and daddy. I love Uncle Dave, but…it's not the same."

Kurt could understand that, he remembered shortly after Carole had married his father. At first he'd been thrilled with the idea, but then the closer they grew the more he'd realized it hurt. A realization that someone could possibly replace his mother, "Did you know I lost my mommy when I was about your age."

Her eyes seemed to grow wider at those words, "What happened?"

Kurt prepared himself for this conversation, and squeezed her shoulders tight as she cuddled against his side. "I was six when she developed a brain tumor, do you know what a tumor is?"

"Yeah, my doggy had one…Momma says it killed her, I wasn't very old."

"That's right, it grows and unfortunately destroys things. It destroyed my mom, made her forget things, made her very sick for a very long time. And then one day she was gone. I was so very sad."

"What about your daddy?"

"He raised me, just like your Uncle Dave is doing," Kurt looked at her for a long moment, "You may not know this, but Uncle Dave is hurting as badly as you are. My dad certainly was. He'd lost someone he loved and adored his wife. And as much as I hurt missing my mommy, he missed her differently, he loved her longer. It doesn't make your pain less important, but I think maybe you should talk to your Uncle about that pain, it might help you both, he lost his big brother."

"That does seem to make him sad."

Kurt leaned down and kissed her head, "What are your nightmares about, sweetie?"

"That Uncle Dave won't be here one day. That something will happen to him, and he'll leave like them," her eyes welled with tears.

Kurt couldn't resist, he lifted her up into his lap and held her close as she cried in his arms, her face read and sticky. "Ellie, you're Uncle Dave is going to do everything he can to make sure he's around a very long time for you." Pressing another kiss to her forehead, and rocking her gently he began to hum lightly.

**Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high  
>There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby<br>Somewhere over the rain bow, skies are blue  
>And the dreams that you dare to dream,<br>Really do come true. **

**Someday I'll wish upon a star  
>And wake up where the clouds are far behind me<br>Where troubles melt like lemon drops  
>Away above the chimney tops<br>That's where you'll find me**

**Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly,  
>Birds fly over the rainbow, why oh why can't I<br>If happy little blue birds fly  
>Beyond the rainbow, why or why can't I<strong>

She listened intently to his falsetto voice fill the room, until he finished, she looked up, tears drying on her cheeks and hugged him close. "Mommy loved that song."

He smiled, his thoughts turning once again back to his own mother, "Mine too."

"Can you sing it again, until I fall asleep?"

He nodded, hugged her a little closer, he began to sing again, softer this time, rocking her back and forth until she was fast asleep against his chest, her grip on his shirt loosened until her hand dropped back into her lap. He sang the song a couple more times, until he was positive she was sleeping. He eased her back onto the bed, until she was lying on her side, then he covered her up. "Sleep peacefully tonight, darling," he pressed a kiss to her temple, before heading out of the room, leaving the door open to allow a sliver of light into the room.

o0o

Monday wasn't a good day by any standards; two of Kurt's patients had really bad days. They were sore and didn't want to do any of his sessions. They was obviously uncomfortable he'd been forced to cut both of them short, and on top of that one of the kids he'd been working with for awhile who was hearing impaired and needed help with his speech had a temper tantrum right before the session with his mother, leaving him nearly impossible to work with.

By the end of the afternoon he sat in his office, which he shared with three other therapists during the week, shifting through paperwork he didn't really want to finish. "Kurt?" Katie Andrews, one of the nurses stepped into the office, closing the door behind her. She was one of Kurt's closes friends, she'd been at St. Charles only a year before he'd started interning.

"Kate, I hope you're here to chat, because otherwise I don't know if I can take bad news."

"I'm sorry, Kurt," as soon as she said that, he noticed how down trodden her face appeared, the grim expression and the dampness in her eyes.

Kurt studied her, "For what?"

"Mr. Ambrose from 3rd floor died, I just got the page. I know you'd been working closely with him after his last stroke."

Kurt sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back in the chair. "How?" he asked, voice tight.

"Another stroke. His family will be here within the hour, they'd like to speak with you, thank you I presume for everything you did. I didn't know if you wanted to see them or not."

Mr. Ambrose had been one of Kurt's least favorite and most favorite patients all in one. He was a stubborn older man in his seventies, who had a stroke less than four weeks ago, he'd made great progress, but when he didn't want to do anything he didn't do anything. Kurt had struggled and triumphed the most with him. He owed the family an apology for their loss. "I'll talk to them. That's at the end of my shift anyway. Could this day get worse?"

"Probably, so I wouldn't tempt fate. Oh, and Kurt, I heard from Dr. Scott that he's chosen the person to run the new wing."

"Really, do tell?"

"He wants to tell the person himself. But he's made his decision."

"Excellent, well I hope whoever it is knows that there's a lot of work ahead of him."

"Sadly, we're all very aware of that. Did you want me to come with you?"

Kurt smiled as he stood, squeezing her hand, she'd worked with Mr. Ambrose as well, it was no secret that most of his doctors, nurses and therapists had loved him. "Nope, I'm fine. I think I'll head out after that, unless you need something else."

"We're good here Kurt, I'm sorry today was so rough."

"Worst part is I had a date tonight."

"Had?"

Kurt sighed, "I'm not in much of a mood to be social at this point."

"Kurt, you should still go!" She smiled a playful smile at him as she wiggled her eyebrows. "Come on, you haven't dated anyone since your divorce. Go and have a good time, really. It could be just what you need to relax for the day."

Kurt chuckled, "I'll consider it, have a good evening."

The hospital was right on the edge of Queens and Manhattan, no more than an hour from Dave's house. Kurt would take the subway to Hoboken then a bus that stopped about a ten minute walk from Dave's. So an hour and a half later, having said goodbye to the family and offering condolences, he was knocking on Dave's front door.

Dave's black truck was in the driveway, so he was definitely home. The door swung open and Kurt was surprised to find Dave standing there in dark jeans and a nice button down shirt, the red brought out his hazel eyes. "I was worried you wouldn't come," Dave greeted him.

Kurt gave him a smile that was somewhere between exhausted and sad, "Almost didn't, but not for the reason you probably think. Today was a rough day."

Dave stepped aside, letting Kurt inside. Kurt followed Dave into the kitchen, surprised to find food was already cooking, it smelled amazing, "What are you making?"

"Stuffed peppers, mashed potatoes, and I bought some pink wine. I hope that's all right. Ellie wanted to be here, but apparently she and Shelly decided to have a play date this evening, she'll be back around nine"

"Alas the struggles of popularity," joked Kurt.

"Or meddling mothers," Dave replied.

Kurt smiled at Dave's thoughtfulness, "This wonderful, thank you David. It smells wonderful."

"Good! It won't be ready for a little while yet, if you want to take a shower you can, otherwise we can go sit down and talk."

"A shower can wait."

Dave checked on the potatoes then poured a glass of wine for each of them and they moved into the living room. "What happened today?"

Kurt leaned his head back against the couch and looked at Dave. He was turned towards him, one leg tucked under him, an arm across the back of the couch honestly appearing interested. "Just a bad day in general. Three of my best patients were at their worst today and to top it all off one of my favorite patients died."

Dave was quiet, "That sucks, you all right?"

"Yeah, I will be. Just wasn't expecting such a rough beginning to my week, you know."

"Let me make it better for you," Dave said gently rubbing Kurt's neck. "You were all Ellie talked about this afternoon when I picked her up from school. She really likes you."

Kurt smiled, his heart soaring at Dave's words. "She's a wonderful girl, and she's quiet taken by you as well."

Dave smiled as he gently ran a hand through Kurt's hair. "You used to put all this stuff in your hair."

"All natural thank you, I used to, but once you start working at a hospital you pretty much have to cut down on anything that could potentially smell. So, I cut down on most of it and use a basic moose product so that it stays where I want until the end of the day."

"I kind of like it."

Kurt looked at Dave and smiled, "I know it's only our second date, here Dave and I hate to ask this, but I do have to think about my son and Ellie. What are we doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"What is this, are we going to become a couple? I mean…I know it's early but I don't want to hurt either of them." He just couldn't put his son through more disappointment. A child couldn't possibly understand how a person could come and go, it was damaging.

Dave smirked, "I told you, Kurt. I liked you in school, always did. Back then I was jealous, now it's just turned into admiration. We are whatever you want it to be. I said it yesterday and I meant it; there aren't many gay guys out there who want absolute commitment. I'd like a shot at that with you though if you'll let me have it. It helps that both of us accept that Ellie and Chris always have to come first."

Kurt studied Dave for a long moment. This very clearly wasn't the same man he'd known in high school. He was looking at an adult, who understood the child came first, who understood what it meant to be open and gay and comfortable. This was a man who had a career and a life and wanted more, but only if Kurt wanted it as well.

"I think I'd be willing to try."

Dave smiled and leaned forward, pressing his lips once again to Kurt's. Deepening the kiss, letting his tongue glide over Kurt's teeth, when they pulled apart Dave leaned his forehead against Kurt's, "I'm really glad to hear that."

They kissed again, however they were interrupted by the timer on the stove, "Dinner's finished."

"Dave…thanks for listening."

Dave looked at Kurt for along moment, "You act as if that's unusual."

"Sorry, I don't mean to be…so odd, it's just been awhile since I've done the whole dating thing, and I wasn't very good at it to begin with."

"Kurt, we'll figure this out together."

They moved into the kitchen, Dave made quick work of removing the peppers from the oven. Kurt helped set the bar, and Dave served them both. Sitting down, Kurt smiled, "So tell me about your day."

"It wasn't exactly interesting; I spent most of the day off." Dave explained as he took a bite of the stuffed pepper. "I ran some errands I'd been putting off. Got some groceries, did some laundry. Like I said nothing exciting."

"It's probably nice though, I mean you have a busy job, so I imagine a non busy day is probably a nice break once in awhile."

Dave chuckled and nodded as he took another bite, watching Kurt take a bite as well. "While the fireman's job is hard, the work schedule is pretty great. I work anywhere from two to three days a week in 24 hour shifts, for example I worked Thursday last week, and I work Wednesday and Friday this week, then I get the rest of the days off. During weeks when I have three shifts I take the other four days off, during a week where I only work two days I work two other days as ambulance shifts."

"Twenty-four hours, isn't that rough? I don't think I've pulled a twenty-four hour shift since med school."

"I remember when I first started, shit I struggled all the time. I ended up sleeping at the station practically every night just for fear I'd forget what day to come in." Kurt laughed slightly. "It's true! My Captain finally gave me two straight days off and said I'd get used to it. He was right about a month in I was on a schedule and very used to it. Most of the senior firemen are pretty cool about helping out the rookies too in the beginning. Don't get me wrong; boy they're rough on us at first. It's not unlike joining a fraternity and getting hazed at first."

"Are they allowed to do it?"

Shrugging, Dave sipped his wine and continued, "The Captain's don't really say anything because most of its completely harmless stuff. Stupid shit you know, like messing with someone in their sleep so they'll slap themselves with a hand full of shaving cream. We never do anything dangerous because obviously that's not the goal. I swear for six weeks they made me go and get everyone coffee first thing in the morning! Every morning. Do you have any idea how hard it is to walk into a Starbucks and order ten or fifteen orders of food for everyone while thirty other people are behind you in line? It was horrible. The nice thing is having been there for awhile now, it's pretty easy to make friends there once you're used to it."

"The hospital was the same way; I started right out of college, and just loved it. But it was rough you're running errands and you only have a few patients to prove yourself before everyone thinks you're not a complete moron. Thankfully it's not as bad for some of the interns; some of these kids come in and look so terrified they can't put in an IV without shaking. I suppose it's different when you're doing it on a real person."

Chuckling David nodded, "I remember the first time I ran into a burning building. Don't get me wrong, you're running into buildings on fire in training, and you save dummies. But that's different, this building was a building with kids in it, real people in it who needed help. I thought I was going to have a panic attack."

"It's intimidating, I imagine."

"It really is, first off you're wearing pounds of gear and layers of stuff, so you're always hot, which in a burning building doesn't help. Seriously, but I love it. I moved here to live with my brother and sister, attended a community college for a year and made some really bad choices, a teacher and friend of mine caught me totally wasted at an off campus bar, under age. He should've turned me in, and didn't hesitate to make that clear to me. He said I either get my shit figured out or he'd report me and I'd be put on probation, which would've made it nearly impossible to become a firefighter. I told Steve and Anne what happened and they suggested I go see someone."

"You went to a psychologist?"

Dave smiled, "Hard to believe right. I did though, and once I figured out all my anger issues…which was like three years later, I ready to help people instead of bring them down."

"That was brave, not a lot of people go out on a limb like that. No offense, I'm just surprised, the Karosfky that I remember wouldn't have been happy with anyone suggesting he go see a therapist."

"I was always angry and while coming out to my family was a huge step, I still wasn't open with anyone else. I had a couple teachers who also noticed my tendency to snap and speak out. They all encouraged me, and believe me I was hesitant at first. So…for my sanity and any future I was hoping of having I went. It was a long process, Nate didn't make any progress until at least half way through the first year. But then we started talking about what was really bothering me, about my being gay, about my struggles in high school, about my family…" Dave shrugged, not quite yet ready to share all the issues he'd faced in high school.

"I'm glad you were able to get help, and not just because you seemed like you needed it."

Dave smiled, "I still don't understand why you were so nice to me after you came back to McKinley.

Kurt looked at him for a long moment, "You're still a human, Dave, which up until the point of the kiss, I was beginning to think was untrue. But you are a human and while the kiss scared the hell out of me and was the very last thing I had ever expected…it showed me how true that was. Let's face it we were both making wild assumptions about each other. None of which were true. The last thing I ever expected was to find out the reason you were so angry was because you had to hide from the whole world because your world was forcing you to think anything other than that was wrong."

"It doesn't make it right." Dave replied, he would never forgive himself for everything he'd put Kurt through, and he wasn't sure he deserved to be forgiven in the first place.

"True, but I think at this point, nearly fifteen years later we can both agree to let bygones be bygones and start over. We're not the same boys we were when we were in high school, David. And I for one am thankful for that. Sure, you were a bully physically. But can I ask you a question?" Dave was silent as if to say that was fine, "Did you feel dumber because of the way I treated you? Bullies don't become bullies for no reason; they do it because most of them honestly have to because they need to survive. Does it make it right, no, but you don't think my biting sarcasm and rapier wit was a defense mechanism to keep people from getting too close. You don't think I didn't knock people down a peg or two to make myself feel better?"

"I never…actually thought about that. I just figured the physical abuse was worse."

Kurt reached out and grasped Dave's hand, squeezing it, "I think we were both really mean to one another in high school. But I think allowing ourselves to learn from it is the best thing either one of us can ask from the other. I'm sure there will be moments when we both get angry or upset at one another for something we say or do. Our job at that point is to stop whatever it is that hurt the other person and be supportive."

"I really am sorry, Kurt."

Kurt smiled, leaning over he pressed a kiss to Dave's cheek, "So am I, for making you think that you weren't smart. And I look forward to getting to know the real David Karofsky." Pausing he looked back at the living room, "Now, how about we finish our wine over a good movie, I thought I saw Zombie Apocalypse, I can't resist a good Zombie movie." The laughter echoed through the whole house as the two men headed into the living room.

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six -**

Kurt and Chris waited at the airport gate for several minutes before they finally spotted Carole and Burt. Chris tried to wiggle from Kurt's grasp, but Kurt wasn't having it, unwilling to let his son down for fear someone might grab him. "Hold on, peanut. Wait until they get over here." Chris settled down with that, realizing that his father was only doing it for his safety.

Carole reached them first, her arms open wide as she hugged both her boys. "Oh, goodness, I've missed you," she kissed Kurt on the cheek. "You look like you've lost weight, have you been sleeping?"

"I'm fine, Carole," he returned her kiss on the cheek and smiled as she swept Chris out of his arms, cooing over her grandson.

"Hey kiddo," Burt greeted his son with a warm hug. Neither one quite willing to let go yet, Kurt wasn't going to tell a soul when he felt his father drop the slightest kiss to his hair. "I've missed you."

"Miss you too, dad." Kurt replied pulling away. He couldn't even begin to explain how much he missed his father, and honestly how much the idea of them one day being up here thrilled him. He knew it would take a lot for his father to agree to move, but he still couldn't quite quell the excitement of it being a remote possibility.

"And this can't possibly be my grandson," Burt chuckled as he took Chris from Carole's arms. Carole was happy to oblige though as she swooped in for a second hug from Kurt.

"Of course it's me, grandpa," Chris grinned hugging Burt around the neck.

"You've gotten big, you're starting to look more and more like your dad."

"Except for his smile," Carole replied, "That is definitely all Rachel."

Kurt nodded, "That's what I tell him. That smile is completely Rachel."

"How is she, Finn asked about her last night, I feel like I should give him an update."

Kurt smiled, his arm still around Carole's shoulder as they made their way to the subway. "She's good, she has performances all this week and next, I thought maybe if we had time Sunday we'd go to one of her matinee shows, then take her to dinner."

"That sounds great."

The majority of the evening was spent eating dinner, and chatting idly. Kurt texted Dave at one point to let him know they'd try dinner tomorrow as a family, but that he hadn't gotten the chance to tell Carole and Burt yet because Chris had been with them nonstop. Dave had replied he wasn't too worried and let him know when and where and he'd buy the dinner.

Burt offered to put Chris to bed that night, bedtime story and all, leaving Carole and Kurt alone in the kitchen, cleaning up. "So," Carole began. "Nancy tells me you've met someone."

Kurt smiled slightly, unable to hide the blush. "Yeah."

"And yet you haven't told us a thing about him yet. Is everything all right?"

"He's great Carole, but it's only been a week, and I'm…" Kurt sighed, "Carole can I ask you some mom advice?"

Carole smiled as she took a seat at the barstool, "Kurt Hummel, I've told you a million times, you can ask me anything sweetie. I'm not your mother, but I'm happy to be your friend."

Kurt reached out and squeezed her hand, "I miss my mom every day, but when I need someone to talk to, it is you I call . Because you are very much my mother in many ways."

Carole was touched she nodded, "Now, ask your question before your gruff old dad comes in and demands to know where this man is and gets his shot gun."

Kurt laughed as he squeezed her hand again, "If I tell you who it is, do you promise not to freak out, and to help me keep dad from freaking out."

Carole didn't like the sound of that, "I'll do whatever I can sweetheart."

"Do you remember David Karofsky."

Her eyebrows knitted together in thought for a moment and then they widened, "That boy from high school. The one who…the one who threatened you?"

"Yeah, that one."

"Oh boy, this is going to be quite the tale, isn't it?"

Kurt smiled, "You have no idea, there's something I didn't tell you guys back then. Something that…despite all the reasons I should've and could've, I didn't tell anyone. Not even Finn knew." Kurt took a very slow deep breathe, "The reason Dave threatened me back in high school was because…" Kurt closed his eyes, he'd thought this would be easier, but suddenly he was realizing it was going to be harder than he thought.

"Are you sure you don't want to wait till your father is in here?"

Kurt looked at her, "I'm not sure I'm even ready to tell him."

"Tell who what?" Burt questioned as he stepped into the kitchen, sitting down he grabbed a soda can. Kurt grabbed it back, before handing his father a cup of decaf coffee he'd brewed a few minutes ago, "It's almost eleven, don't drink that."

"You don't even live with me anymore, and I can't get away," joked Burt, but he took a heaping gulp of coffee. "What's going on?"

Carole looked over at her husband, "Kurt was just about to tell me something rather important. Kurt would you like me to gloss over the basics while you prepare yourself for whatever it is you didn't tell us fifteen years ago."

"Yeah," Kurt replied softly, pouring himself a cup of coffee as well as the three of them settled in the kitchen around the bar.

"About five days ago, Nancy called me, telling me that Kurt had met someone. I of course knew Kurt had been busy this week, so I didn't ask him about it, figuring we could get the juicy news once we got here. Kurt just told me who it was."

"Who is it? Do we know it? It's not Puckerman is it?"

Kurt chuckled, "No, but you may not feel it's much better…it's David Karofsky."

"That kid that threatened to—" Burt noticed both Carole and Kurt was trying to shush him, so he quickly lowered his voice, but his eyes still held contempt, "That kid that threatened you, the same one who forced you out of McKinley?"

"Yes."

"Have you lost your mind?" Burt questioned.

"Burt," Carole scolded. "Give him a minute to explain. These aren't the same two seventeen year old boys, we're talking about nearly fifteen years ago. Go ahead sweetie, what were you saying before your dad came in."

Kurt took a deep breath, staring at his coffee, "There was something I didn't tell anyone when all of that began fifteen years ago. It all started with advice from…from Blaine." Kurt closed his eyes, "I was having a rough time with the bullying, it wasn't anything I wasn't used to, honestly, but it had increased from everyone. Not just Karofsky, though at the time he was the worst, but from within the Glee club as well. I didn't feel like I belonged…anywhere." He took a slow breath, unwilling to cry, he wasn't sixteen anymore there was no point. "We'd just found out that our competition was the Warblers down in Westerville, Ohio, so I skipped the rest of school and went down there."

"You told us all of that, honey," Carole explained.

Kurt nodded, "I know, but what I didn't tell you was the conversation I had with Blaine before returning home. He told me I had to stand up against my bully."

"That was really shitty advice," Burt replied, realizing that kind of advice could get a kid killed. "Blaine didn't know a damn thing about what you were facing, how did he know the kid you were facing wasn't some crazy jerk who would shoot you?"

"He didn't, and neither one of us expected what happened. I think Blaine realized it was terrible advice, but it certainly brought everything to a head…and to some extent an even more rapid decline."

"I'm not sure I like the sound of that. What didn't you tell us?"

"I did exactly what Blaine said. One day, towards the end of school, I'd gotten slammed into the locker by Karofsky, hard that time, hard enough to leave bruises. And I ran after him…right into the locker room. We traded barbs, more than a few until I pushed him over his limit. Completely tore him down and insulted him, insinuating that he wasn't someone anyone could ever love, much less me so he didn't have to ever worry. and he…" Kurt stopped remembering that moment, the slam of the lips against his, the way the large hands grabbed his head. The fear that had rippled through his body. It didn't feel that way anymore, while that moment as a whole wasn't one of his better memories, now Kurt could put good memories with it. The kiss they'd shared last week, all the talking they'd done. "He kissed me."

"Holy crap," Burt whispered. "Karofsky was gay…" Somehow prior to this point it hadn't registered that Dave was gay, even though Kurt had implied it earlier. "Jesus, kid. That would've changed everything."

"I know. But I couldn't do it dad. At first I couldn't say anything because I was afraid he would hurt or kill me…but then it became clear to me that whatever reason Dave was hiding it for…it was probably for his own benefit more than anything. My anger and fear started to turn into guilt and pity for him."

"So…you're telling me the whole time we were going through this, you knew he was gay and that was the real reason you took it."

"Prior to the kiss, no I didn't have a clue dad. I'd assumed he was just…ignorant."

"Most boys his age were." Burt answered, knowing he certainly had been. "Why didn't you tell me, or Carole, hell even Finn?"

"I didn't tell Finn, because he was already struggling with so much between the Rachel and Quinn thing. I just couldn't do that to him, and I didn't want him to think it was some lovers' quarrel. As much as I love Finn now, he and I were still struggling at that point to find an even keel. I didn't tell you guys because I didn't want to take it to the school board. I hadn't really planned on taking it to Schuester, he spotted me right after it happened and I freaked out. Everything happened so quick I had no control over it. By the time I returned to McKinley, Dave was acting nice, and had apologized; he didn't terrorize anyone, let alone me. They protected me the entire week of Junior Prom, and he literally apologized in tears to me. I couldn't help but feel bad, dad. He was in so much pain, I didn't understand why at the time, and I'm starting to see at least a little bit, but he was so sad and I couldn't help him. I couldn't hate him."

"So now…what you're in love with him?" Burt asked, his tone less accusing but still worried.

Kurt's smile was almost wistful and far away as he thought of the man he knew now. "I don't know yet, dad. It's only been a week. I definitely like this man more than the boy. If one man who I thought I knew so well turns out to be…so unexpectedly close minded, why not the one who I thought as close minded be open minded."

Burt couldn't help give his son that one. No one had seen Blaine's odd separation from Kurt coming. Especially Kurt, Burt didn't have an opinion, and he knew his son liked it better that way. Burt had certainly learned that some things were better left unsaid when it came to his only child. He'd learned something else from his son as well, people could change. People could do a complete 180 from where they were at before. And as much as Burt wanted to hate Karofsky, he knew it was very much a possibility that the boy, now a grown man, could've changed. Because Burt had been sixteen once and some of the things he'd done in those years were things that Dave had done, perhaps not to the extent, but certainly just as angry and ignorant. When Kurt had been born, and Burt had realized his son was probably gay, he'd decided it was time to change.

"Kurt, sweetie, I don't know if I can speak for your father in this situation, but the only thing I ever wanted for you…for both my boys, was for you to both be happy. If Dave has matured, which I'm sure he has in fifteen years, and you're honestly comfortable with him and he makes you happy, then that's all I could ask for."

Kurt smiled at Carole, his eyes a little damp as he moved off his stool and over to give her a long hug. Standing he looked at his dad. The man still looked contemplative. "Dad?" Kurt asked, his voice tight and nervous.

Burt looked at his son for a long moment, "I love you. And I promised you a long time ago that I'd always love you no matter what. That hasn't changed. I want to talk to Dave…without the shot gun, I promise. But I would like to talk to him. Ultimately though, son, if he's who you are happy with him then I couldn't ask for more."

"Thanks, dad." Kurt replied hugging his father again.

**o0o**

Kurt stirred in his sleep, laying there quietly for a moment, listening for whatever had woke him up. He turned on his side and looked at the door, "Chris?"

The boy now stood just enough in the hall light and the door way to be illuminated by it. "I can't sleep."

"Chris, we've discussed this buddy, you have to learn to sleep in your own bed regularly."

"I know…just this time?"

Kurt sighed, "Tell you what, I'll take you back to your room and stay with you until you fall asleep."

"Thanks, daddy."

They headed back to Chris' bedroom. Kurt helped him get situated under the covers once more and he sat on the floor by the bed, head resting on the mattress.

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

There was a moment of hesitation, "Do you like Mr. Karofsky?"

Kurt smiled, count on his son not to miss a thing, "Yes."

"Are you going to marry him?"

"Not yet," chuckled Kurt. "Why?"

He could practically hear his son shrug, "I really like him. He's nice to me and to his niece Ellie."

"Because he plays with you?"

"Yeah…but it's more than that."

"What do you mean?"

He heard the rustling of covers and a moment later his son was peering over the bed at him. "He looks at me like you do."

"How do I look at you?"

"Sometimes you look at me as though I'm…special," the boy shrugged, "I don't know. Momma explains it like someone hangs the stars in the sky. What does that mean?"

Kurt chuckled, trust Rachel to use a star analogy. "It means that you love someone so much because they mean the world to you."

"Well sometimes he looks at me like that. But…not in a weird way. Like a daddy kinda way."

Kurt looked at his son for a long moment, "You're very observant for a seven year old."

"I get it from my dad."

"Which one?" Kurt laughed.

"Exactly!"

Kurt laughed hard this time, that was something only Blaine would say. Reaching up and cupping the side of his son's head he pressed a kiss to the boy's cheek. "Go to sleep, Peanut."

"He looks at you like that too, sometimes."

"When?"

"When you aren't looking, or when you talk to me. He looks at you like he's known you for years."

"He has," Kurt whispered, "For about nineteen years."

"What are you waiting for then?" Chris demanded.

"Relationships are difficult, Chris. It's not that black and white."

"How come."

Kurt opened his mouth to respond, and suddenly he realized he didn't know. He had known Karofsky for two years, and David for two years. And while it had been fifteen years, it was very clear to him that Dave had changed greatly in the past fifteen years. "Got o sleep, Christopher."

"Will you sing?"

Kurt smiled, "What do you want me to sing?"

"Return to Pooh Corner"

Smiling Kurt nodded and closed his eyes and began to sing, his voice soft so not to disturb anyone else, "Christopher Robin and I walked along, under branches lit up by the moon, posing our questions to Owl and Eyore as our days disappeared all too soon. But I've wandered much further today than I should and I can't seem to find my way back to the wood.

So help me if you can  
>I've gotta get back to the house<br>by a quarter by one  
>You'd be surprised there's so much to be done<p>

Count all the bees in the hive  
>Chase all the clouds in the sky<br>Back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh

Winnie Pooh doesn't know what to do  
>Got a honey jar stuck on his nose<br>He came to me asking help and advise  
>From here no one knows where he goes<br>So I sent him to ask of the owl if he's there  
>How to loosen a jar from the nose of a bear<p>

Help me if you can  
>I've got to get back to the house<br>by a quarter by one  
>You'd be surprised there's so much to be done<br>Count all the bees in the hive  
>Chase all the clouds in the sky<br>Back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh

Opening his eyes Kurt looked up at his son who's eyes were already closing in sleep. Kurt sighed as he reached out and gently stroked his son's hair away from his eyes.

"It's hard to explain how a few precious things  
>seem to follow throughout all our lives<br>after all is said and done I was watching my son  
>sleeping there with my bear by his side<br>So I tucked him in, I kissed him, and as I was going  
>I swear that old bear whispered, boy welcome home.<p>

Believe me if you can, I finally come back to the house  
>by a quarter by one. What you know there's so much to be done<br>Count all the bees in the hive  
>Chase all the clouds in the sky<br>Back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh.

Standing slowly, wincing at his joints aching from sitting on the floor. He turned the bed side lamp out again, and pressed a gentle kiss to his son's forehead. "Goodnight, Christopher Robin," he murmured.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thank you to all of my reviewers and readers, even those of you who don't review but just read and favorite,I appreciate even that, because I love this story and though I update less often (since I'm busy with grad school and real life getting whoa busy) I still adore this story and series and I am still writing it. **

**One of my favorite things about this chapter is that up until now we really haven't seen much change in personality from Christopher. He's not one dimensional, he's actually going to change quite a bit in the next story, but for now you'll see a shift in his attitude at least a little. **

**Chapter Seven -**

Feeling better than he had in days about everything, Kurt called Dave early the next morning before anyone else was awake. He wasn't at all surprised when the man answered, sounding fully awake. "Hey," Kurt greeted.

_"Good morning_," Dave greeted from where he stood in his own kitchen, the phone tucked between his shoulder and ear as he prepared breakfast for himself and Ellie.

"I have a little proposition for you."

"_Do you_?" Chuckled Dave as he checked to make sure his niece was in the living room watching her cartoons. "And what might that be?"

"Well, I talk to dad and Carole last night, Dad wants to talk to you. No worries, I casually reminded him that killing you would be a criminal offense, but I thought maybe we could all go to Adventureland in New York. It's about an hour and a half away, but I thought it'd be fun. You get to spend the day with someone other than just a six year old, and I get to be with you."

Dave hummed slightly, _"Strikes me as the perfect day. Will your folks be all right with it_?"

"First off, I'm thirty-two so I don't see them having much to say. Second this will accomplish what they were hoping, time with us, a chance to get to know the real David and a fun afternoon for everyone. Come on, you know you want to say yes."

"_How could I possibly say no,_" laughed Dave. "_Have you guys had breakfast_?"

"We haven't, are you offering?"

"_Well, I was going to make French toast…_"

Kurt grinned suddenly, a brilliant idea hitting him, "The house is still fast asleep, come over here and cook, we'll leave in the SUV from here."

"_Will we all fit?_"

"We should, I've got a lot of seating in that car, you can take the truck if you'd like, that way if you need to leave early or something you can."

_"I can do that, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes._"

"Great." Kurt hung up the phone and put it on the counter top, unable to stop himself from the furious blush that came over him. Was he too excited to see the firefighter. Closing his eyes he began to pull out the ingredients he'd need for breakfast. It wasn't long before he heard a light knock at the door. Heading to the door he smiled as Dave stepped in with Ellie against his hip, she looked at Kurt and grinned. "Uncle Kurt!" She cheered.

Kurt laughed as he took her into his arms, "Hey silly girl, do you want to go watch some cartoons with Chris?"

"Yeah."

Nodding Kurt looked at Dave, "Can you hang out here for a second?"

"Sure, I'll put this other stuff in the kitchen."

"Thanks," heading down the hall, Kurt knocked on Chris' room. Chris glanced up from where he sat on his bed watching cartoons and smiled, "Hi, Ellie," he greeted as Kurt put her down.

"Dave came over to help with breakfast, and then we're all going to Adventureland, think you can keep each other busy for about an hour while he and I cook?"

"Sure dad."

Kurt nodded and shut the door again. Heading back down the hall he smiled as he saw Dave already fixing the ingredients for the French toast, "I brought sausage, I didn't know if you had any and I wasn't sure if you're dad could eat bacon."

"He can…he shouldn't, but he can. We'll serve both so he can have his choice. He'll be walking anyway." Kurt moved over to him, "Come here," Kurt wrapped his arms around Dave's stomach and back, hugging him for a moment. A hug which Dave was eager to return as he pulled back just enough he moved in for the kiss. Kurt smiled against Dave's lips, their lips parting to let their tongues clash slightly.

"Oops," Carole's voice caught both of them off guard and they jumped.

Both boys immediately had the decency to step away from one another and blush furiously. "I'll make some coffee," Dave quickly said as he turned away.

Kurt couldn't help but laugh as Carole chuckled softly and kissed Kurt's cheek. "Good morning sweetheart, I hope I'm not intruding…although clearly I am."

"No, you're not," Kurt replied. "You guys are staying here, so it's your home right now. I invited Dave over to join us for the afternoon, I thought once we had breakfast we could all head to Adventureland, it's an amusement park about an hour and a half from here. It's got kids rides and all kinds of games. Figured it'd be a good time to bond for everyone."

"That sounds wonderful." Carole smiled as Dave handed her a hot cup of coffee,

"Did you want anything in it?"

"No, but thank you. You must be David, I'm Carole, Kurt's step-mother."

Dave smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you. He talks about you and his father all the time."

Carole smirked, "So boys what are we having for breakfast?"

"French toast, bacon, eggs, sausage and fruit salad," Kurt recited as he accepted a cup of coffee from Dave as well.

"Sounds amazing, so Dave, tell me about yourself. Kurt hasn't filled us in on much, just some stuff from high school to make us a little more aware of the situation."

Dave glanced over at Kurt who shrugged, "I told them the truth."

He nodded, "And you're okay?"

Kurt raised an eyebrow, "I didn't have some flashback or nightmares or anything, if that's what you're asking. I told you David, it was a long time ago and I forgave you for it a long time ago. I'm fine."

"Okay then. Well, what would you like to know?" Dave replied turning back to Carole as he set up about preparing the French toast.

"What do you do? Do you have any children?"

"I'm a New York firefighter and EMT." Dave smiled, "Ellie, is my niece she's six and recently lost both her parents so I'm her legal guardian. She's in Chris' room watching cartoons right now."

"So, you're a firefighter, do you like it?"

Dave shrugged, "Most days yeah, it's like all jobs, some days I hate it. Days when I see things I wish I never had. I actually called Kurt after one of the more recent ones, there was a car fire on the freeway a couple days ago, three car pile up and a kid died. I hate those days, I hate it when we can't really get there in time to help people. You get used to it, but it still really sucks."

"I can imagine, I was a nurse for years, I definitely understand how hard it can be to feel helpless to those who are already gone. But I'm glad you have Kurt to call when it's been a bad day."

Kurt smiled, "It's not one sided either, I call him on bad days too."

"As it should be in a good relationship."

They chatted for a few more moments when Burt stepped in, a t-shirt and his flannel bottoms, he was rubbing his face when he realized there was an additional person in the kitchen. "Hello," he greeted. He leaned around Carole and kissed her cheek.

"Morning, dad. Breakfast is just about ready."

"Great I'm starving."

Kurt nodded, "I'll go grab the kids," he headed back to the back of the apartment, opening the door to find the two kids enthralled in TV. "Okay Peanut, Ellie, breakfast is ready."

"Yay!"

Chris beat Ellie into the kitchen and spotted Dave and beamed, "Dave!"

Dave chuckled, positive that Kurt hadn't ever expected Chris to take to him like this. He lifted Chris up on his hip and smiled, "Do you want OJ or milk?"

"Apple!" Chris smiled.

"I don't believe that was an option," Kurt replied as he stepped into the room with Ellie. "Dad, Carole, this is Ellie, Dave's niece. Ellie, this is my mother and father."

"Hi," she said shyly.

Dave rolled his eyes, "You aren't shy, stop trying to fool people," he joked kissing her cheek.

Carole grinned as the kitchen was soon filled with talking and laugher, even Burt couldn't help but smile at how easily the two boys…men seemed to take to children. Within an hour Carole was getting ready for the day, Kurt had taken Ellie and Chris to get cleaned up and clean up himself as well, leaving Burt in the kitchen eyeing a slightly apprehensive Dave.

"Ask whatever you'd like, Mr. Hummel. I'm not going to sit here and kid myself that you're into the idea of me dating your son after everything I did to him."

Burt sighed and let some of his tough guy façade drop away slightly. "I was sixteen once you know." Dave sat down, prepared to listen. "I knew your father and your uncle in school. And while we clearly were bullies for a completely different reason, I'm not ignorant enough to think people can't change. So I'm going to ask you one question and I want an honest answer. If I can get that much, then I'll give you a shot."

"Anything, sir."

"What changed?"

Dave smiled, "I was expecting something harder. A lot, fifteen years worth of shit…sorry, stuff. I guess it started when I told my folks right after freshman year in college that I was gay, expecting for them to be okay with it…the way you were okay with Kurt."

Burt felt his heart go out to the boy, "And they weren't."

"No, at least not at first no. They kicked me out, I moved in with my brother as a last resort. I made some bad mistakes, got wasted, got caught by a faculty member and friend underage, and was given an ultimatum. Get help or get the hell out of the school. I chose help. I talked to someone about everything. It wasn't easy Mr. Hummel, and believe me the guilt I feel for what I did to your son…and to every other kid out there is…consuming some days. But your son forgave me, so it's my job to forgive myself now."

Burt studied the man, he was still a boy to the world, but he certainly appeared happier than the boy he'd seen in the office fifteen years ago. He seemed comfortable in his own skin, like Kurt had always been. "David," he said, forcing the boy to look up at him. "Don't beat yourself up. What you did to Kurt…yeah it was bad, but it was fifteen years ago. I wasn't all that different at that age, you learn that the most you can do is ask for forgiveness and work on bettering yourself at that point."

"Thank you, sir. I am trying."

Burt nodded, "Right, well my son apparently thinks you're a changed man, and based off what I see…I'm inclined to agree. What your parents did to you, was crap. Don't let their poor decisions weigh on you, that's their choice not yours. You keep my boy happy and I'm happy."

"Thank you sir."

Burt nodded, then he paused, "But if you hurt him, I will break you."

Dave smiled, "I don't doubt it for a second, Mr. Hummel."

"Good…and you can call me Burt."

"If it's all right with you, I think I'd rather stick with Mr. Hummel for now…until you're more comfortable with all of this. I'm not judging sir. I don't blame you. But I don't want to force anything on you."

Burt was impressed, the kid had changed. "Right, well…I'm going to go check on what's taking my wife so long."

o0o

Adventureland wasn't a very large amusement park, unlike the ones Kurt and Dave knew from Ohio, but it was sizable and meant mostly for younger children. Because of that most of the rides were okay for people like Burt as well because of his former heart disorder. Kurt and Dave were walking quietly behind Carole, Burt, Chris and Ellie who had taken to the two quickly.

"So…I'm assuming dad talked to you," Kurt asked quietly, his eyes on his son the entire time. Chris had been getting a little difficult this afternoon, and Kurt wasn't quite sure what was going through his kid's head.

Dave chuckled in reply, "Oh yeah."

"Do I need to do any damage control?"

"I don't think so, no."

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth, I told him what I told you, about how I came to be more comfortable in my skin and what was wrong with my past."

Kurt looked at Dave for a long moment, "You're going to tell me more about that one day, right?"

"Yeah," Dave replied, "It's not that I don't trust you. It's hard to talk about…if I talk about it that means I have to remember it. Which I'm not entirely comfortable with. But yes. I'll tell you about it one day when we're alone and have all the time in the world."

Kurt nodded, "Okay. I'm here."

Dave smiled as he threaded his fingers through Kurt's holding tight, "I know."

"So, I had a thought this morning, that maybe on your next day or two off…we could send Chris and Ellie to Rachel's or Tori's and have some you and me time."

Dave grinned, "I could be cool with that." He'd been worried that Kurt would feel like they were rushing it, so he was open to letting Kurt direct the speed and direction of their relationship. He didn't want to push Kurt out of his comfort zone.

"Hey boys," Burt called back, glancing over his shoulder; he couldn't help but smile at the sight of the two men talking quietly, holding hands. They looked so natural. Burt couldn't really be that angry at Dave for the past, because while he'd once been the boy who caused his son to cry. He was no bringing out a smile in Kurt that Burt hadn't seen for a very, very long time. "We've got some hungry munchkins up here, any interest in something quick to eat?"

"Sure, I'll buy," Dave offered.

"Nonsense, it's my job to buy. Let's go find somewhere to eat."

Chris had dropped back to walk with his father at this point and yanked on his father's arm, "Daddy, look funnel cakes!"

Kurt smiled tightly at his son; Chris had already had an ice cream cone as well as breakfast this morning. "Chris, not today. You've had enough sugar."

Kurt should've seen it coming to be fair, Chris had plenty of witness which tended to cause him to overreact, he hadn't slept well the night before making him tired and he'd become progressively more terse as the day had gone. A moment after the words left Kurt's mouth he saw his son's eyes grow dark-like his other father, he saw the eyebrows descend and he immediately heard the screaming. "I want a funnel cake!" cried Chris, his face beginning to turn red as he warmed up for his temper tantrum.

Kurt closed his eyes, feeling a headache mounting already, "Dad, Dave, do you guys mind going on ahead?"

"Not at all," Burt replied. Kurt had only ever thrown two temper tantrums and Burt could remember how embarrassing it was to be in public with a child who decided it was a good time to throw a fit.

Dave gave Kurt a tight smile, "I'll get a plain hot dog."

"Thank you," Kurt replied gratefully as he grabbed his son under his arms and hauled him up. Despite Chris' attempts to kick and scream he wasn't deterring his father much and Kurt walked over to a more private area by a park bench. "Hey!" he finally snapped, not a good moment. "Stop it, right now." The tone of voice left little room for argument. But Chris didn't appear to get the message as he continued to cry and try to wiggle away from his father.

"Christopher Bertram Hummel!" That got the child's attention. He stopped squirming, but he hadn't stopped crying.

Kurt sat Chris on the bench and crouched down in front of the boy. "What's the rule?" Chris crossed his arms over his chest, turning his face away from his father. Not meeting his eyes. Kurt sighed, being a parent sucked sometimes, he thought grimly. "Christopher, what is my rule."

"No more than two sweets per day," Chris mumbled.

Kurt nodded, "What did you have for breakfast?"

"French toast…with syrup."

"And what did you have for a snack less than an hour ago?"

"Scoopoficecream," another mumbled reply.

"So please explain to me then why you felt it was necessary to have a little meltdown back there." He waited for a reply, but none appeared to be forthcoming. "Christopher, do you want this trip to be over now?"

"No."

"Then I suggest you alter your behavior now. Otherwise a certain boy will be sent to his room with no toys or games."

"Dad would let me have it."

That was Kurt's breaking point. He glared at his son, anger clear in his eyes. "You're grounded, now get off the bench and march yourself over to the rest of the family, you will apologize and if you ever throw another tantrum like that again, I won't take you anywhere fun for a very long time!" Kurt's voice was low and ground out, not unlike his father's had been when he was young.

Chris stood, his face still filled with contempt as he moved towards the food hut that the family was sitting tears still streaming down his face. Kurt closed his eyes, rubbing them briefly in effort to stave off the tears of frustration. He walked quickly to catch up with his son before they joined the rest of the family at the picnic table.

"I got him water," Dave offered as Kurt sat down beside him.

"Thank you," Kurt replied quietly.

Dave looked over at Burt who was eyeballing the father and son; it was clear something had occurred to leave them both in a sour mood. "Son, let's take a walk." Burt offered quietly, his tone kind and loving so that Chris didn't think Kurt had done anything wrong.

Dave watched as Burt led Kurt away from them, he saw the defeated sag of Kurt's shoulders and his heart went out to the man. He looked at Chris who was staring at the hot dog as if it was a worm. He leaned over and looked at the child, "I'm not your dad, but I highly suggest you eat that hot dog before you end up going to bed hungry." He directed, making sure not to cross the line of ordering the boy.

Giving a slight hiccup, Chris took a bite of the hot dog. Dave glanced up, realizing Carole was watching him, and was surprised when she gave him a nod of approval. Dave looked over at Ellie who was also demolishing a hot dog and water. He'd made sure that Ellie didn't get anything sweet either, so that Chris didn't feel as though he was being ganged up on. She looked up at him when she was finished and smiled, "Can I have another?"

Dave chuckled, "You like hot dogs?" It felt like a triumph, they hadn't found anything yet she truly enjoyed other than peanut butter.

Her grin was wide and she nodded, "Yeah."

"I'm going to remember that munchkin."

Carole smirked as she stood, "I could use another hot dog myself, how about we go together, sweetie," she lifted the girl under her arms, the child willingly attached to Carole giggling as they went.

"I said a bad thing," Chris admitted once the women were out of earshot.

Dave looked down at Chris, "What did you say?"

"I compared him to dad."

Dave nodded, "Chris, I know this whole divorce thing has been rough on you. But I think deep down inside you realize it's not fair to compare your dads to one another. Kurt isn't Blaine and Blaine isn't Kurt. They make separate decisions, even when it comes to you."

"I know," Chris whispered.

Dave pulled the boy into his lap, holding him close for a minute, "Why do you think your dad said no more sweets?"

"Cause he doesn't want me to get sick."

Dave nodded, "That's right. Look buddy, you're dad loves you."

"Do you love me?" Chris leaned his head back against Dave's chest, studying the man. "Like daddy does?"

Dave smiled warmly and dropped a kiss to the child's forehead, "Definitely." He sat the boy back up and smiled, "I think maybe we should go get your dad a water and a hotdog, what do you think?"

"Good idea."

Kurt and Burt walked away through the park, Burt's hands in his pocket, not really looking at his son. "What did he say?"

"Does it matter?"

"It does if my son suddenly looks like he's been punched in the gut. There are only a few things in the world that can make a parent have that look after speaking with their child. Now I know for a fact that you have the boy trained to think hate is a worse word than the f-word, so I'm going to assume it's the one thing you said to me when you were a kid."

Kurt sighed, "I'm sorry, dad."

"What on earth for, Kurt?" Burt turned to look at his son this time; they took a seat on a nearby bench.

"For making you think…at any point in time, that you weren't enough of a parent to me. That you weren't good enough or something."

"Kurt, as far as kids go, you were probably one of the easiest kids I ever had to raise. And now having the joy of raising your kid sister, I can honestly say you and Finn spoiled your mom and me rotten."

Kurt smiled at that. "He said his dad would let him have it. That shouldn't hurt as much as it does."

"Yeah it should, that's why he said it, Kurt. Because despite being seven, he's smart and smart kids know their parents' weakest points. And there's no hiding from anyone that Blaine and the divorce are still your weak spots."

"I hate him sometimes. Hate him for putting me through this, for making me believe in a fairy tale."

Burt smiled sadly, wrapping an arm over the back of the bench and looking at his kid. His kid, thirty-three or not, Kurt would always be his kid. His boy. "If I've learned one thing, it's that life isn't a fairy tale and neither is love. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with hoping for it. But I think you've learned a lot from your relationship with Blaine. Maybe that's what will help your new relationship more successful. There are definitely things about my relationship with Carole that are better because of your mom. Kurt you and I had plenty of our own moments though too, it's best not to let the kid see he got to you."

"Dad, I know I got to you when I told you mom did something a different way."

"I know, but try and pretend it doesn't get to you, cry later," chuckled Burt. He looked at his son. "You were my best friend growing up, kiddo. You still are. And I know that little boy will be yours. You'll make your own mistakes, you learn from them and you'll be an incredible father. You are an incredible father."

"Thank you."

"Ready to go back?"

Kurt shook his head, "Nah, I think I'd like to hang out with my dad for a moment longer."

They sat there for a few more minutes, until they were approached by Carole, Ellie, Dave and Chris, who was carrying a hot dog. He walked over to his father and handed it to him. "I'm sorry, daddy, I shouldn't have said that and I shouldn't have treated you that way," his lower lip wobbling.

Kurt took the hot dog and pulled his son into his lap, hugging him close. "I love you, Peanut. Don't you ever forget that," Kurt whispered, kissing his son's cheek. Knowing that all too soon his son wouldn't want hugs or kisses anymore.

They got up and made their way towards the exit, Kurt smiled as Dave wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "You all right?"

"Better, thank you. Did you tell him to do that?"

Dave chuckled and shook his head, "Not really, I encouraged him to bring you the hot dog and apologize for his behavior, but I didn't tell him what to say. He was already starting to feel bad."

"Thank you, though. Did he eat?"

"Every bite."

"You're better at this than you think."

Dave chuckled as he pulled Kurt close and kissed his temple, surprised that Kurt let him do it with such ease. "So are you," he murmured against Kurt's temple.

o0o

Carole had already headed to bed, Burt shortly behind her after having spent the entire evening chatting with the boys while Ellie and Chris had played. The kids were even asleep. Dave smiled, he was getting tired, "I should go," he whispered as he began to stand.

"Stay." It was one simple word, but Dave felt like it was a hint at something more. Maybe Kurt really did want all of this. Maybe he really was okay with all of this.

"What?"

Kurt stood, hands gripping Dave's. Kurt drew closer, hands running over Dave's shoulders and arms. "Stay here. You can sleep on the couch, whatever you want. But please, stay."

"Kurt," Dave looked at the man's face, he was falling in love, dangerously so. He knew what he wanted, but he also knew that if he stayed tonight…stayed with Kurt they'd venture somewhere neither one was ready to venture yet. "I can't sleep with you yet." Dave whispered.

"That's okay, stay on the couch, but stay here. You belong here…with me."

"It's not because I don't want you, Kurt. I just know that if we get in that bedroom and lie down together I won't be able to stop what happens next."

"What if I don't want you too?"

Dave shook his head, his hands on Kurt's shoulders, "I want you too. When we decide to go the next step, it'll be beautiful. But not like this, not when you've had an emotional day, and definitely not with your family in the house." Kurt chuckled at that. Dave continued, "I'll stay on the couch." Dave leaned in, their lips met again as Kurt pulled himself closer. They separated and Dave leaned his forehead against Kurt's. "I think…" Dave couldn't say it yet, couldn't admit that he was possibly falling head over heels for this man.

Kurt smiled, "I think so too. Get some rest, I'll see you in the morning."

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Please be advised this chapter is rated: NC-17for graphic sex. If this offends you please skip this chapter, it will not effective the story in anyway. I will not be offended. Thank you I now return you to your regularly scheduled chapter with a Happy New Year and Merry belated Christmas!**

**Chapter Eight –**

Kurt sat across the table from Noah, watching him eat the coney dog. "That's disgusting," mumbled Kurt.

The officer looked up at him and smiled as they dug into their usual weekly lunches. The weekend had ended well, Dave had to report to work Sunday morning, so he'd bid a quick goodbye to Carole and Burt, Ellie remained with Kurt for the day and he'd kissed Kurt goodbye before leaving for work. They'd spent the rest of the day hanging around New York, and spending time with one another. Carole and Burt had gone home that evening. Now he sat at the café across from the hospital for his weekly lunch with Noah.

"So you like him."

Kurt rolled his eyes, "You're still in the 5th grade aren't you," he joked.

Noah opened his mouth to show him his chewed food, enjoying the grimace and eye roll he got. "Look, Kurt. I'm not going to tell you who to like or not to like. Dave was a good guy, despite what he did to you, I mean yeah he was a jerk, but when we were kids he wasn't like that. He was cool, until he got in with the hockey team. I'm just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, in case you've forgotten."

"I'm the Puckster, I can't die."

Kurt didn't reply to that, deciding he wasn't in the mood to point out Puck wore a bullet proof vest to work stating otherwise. "Is it possible to fall in love with someone after one week?"

"I think it's possible to love someone after one minute, if it's the right person. I spent a few hours with Cheryl and knew I was madly in love with her."

"You're still in love with her."

Puck smirked, "Yeah, but don't tell her that. I like that she thinks I'm a heartless badass."

"You're unbelievable."

"Hummel, everyone is different, you're not sixteen anymore. You're more than rational and capable of deciding who to love or not to love. If you think Dave is your sugar daddy-"

"Please don't ever say that again."

"Then you should be with him."

Kurt sighed and grew serious, "What if I'm wrong like I was with Blaine."

Noah shrugged, "It's not about being right or wrong, Kurt. It's about being with someone, sometimes you have to throw it all into the wind and just hope you're right."

"Faith?"

"Faith that you'll make the right decision."

"I don't believe in God, Noah."

"You don't have to; this isn't a testimony or something. I'm simply saying have enough stones to believe you've made the right decision. Put the past where it belongs. You aren't the same guy you were five years ago, ten years ago, let alone fifteen. You said yourself you knew Blaine wasn't the right person back in college. So if you know in the first week that Dave was right all along, why are you doubting that. You obviously know what you want and like and that is clearly Dave. Believe in yourself enough to be right or wrong."

"I do like him."

"So I gathered. Go for it, Hummel. You deserve to be happy. Besides, I'll be happy to take the rugrats for a quick weekend. Cheryl loves them, and me."

"Thank you, Noah."

Noah took a huge bite out of his Coney again, causing Kurt to grimace once again. He laughed and took out his cell phone. **I know you're on duty, but you're off tomorrow right? Noah just volunteered to take our kids. –k-**

Kurt stuck his phone back in his scrubs and looked at Noah, "I've got to get back to work. I'll call you with the arrangements."

"Sure thing, Kurt."

"Hey Noah," Kurt looked down at his best friend, "Stay safe."

Noah grinned and pulled back his shirt to reveal his 9mm. "Always."

Kurt shook his head and walked back across the street. He headed back into the building, he stepped into the elevator, making his way back up to the general med wing, where he'd check in on a few of his patients. His phone chirped and he glanced down to see it was Dave. **Off tomorrow at seven in the morning, why don't you come over for dinner, maybe five? –D-**

Kurt grinned and quickly typed in a message **Can't wait. See you then, let Ellie know Noah will be picking her up. –k-. **He then went to his messages and typed out a message to Noah **We're getting together for dinner tomorrow, pick Ellie and Chris up after school and keep them, if Ellie puts up too much of a fight just have her call me or Dave. –k-**

**o0o**

"You know, watching football with the right person, honestly makes it a little more worth it," chuckled Kurt as Dave made an off handed comment about one of the players having a nice ass.

"What, I'm allowed to comment," Dave smirked. "Besides, it's not a team I like anyway. The only trouble with living in Ohio most of my life is I've come to appreciate the Buckeyes greatly, and don't even get me started on the Yankees. Most of the guys in my unit are hardcore Yankee fans so every year it's them against me and my Cleveland Indians."

"My dad never understood why I loved to sit there and watch them and make fun of their stirrup pants."

Dave smiled as he looked over at Kurt, "You and you're dad are pretty awesome."

Kurt nodded, "Yes we are. Mostly I sat there and complained to annoy him, but also it was the only thing I could do and enjoy my time with him."

Dave's chuckle was low. The sun was dipping low in the sky, they had all tomorrow together as well, so Kurt wasn't in much of a hurry. He looked at their hands that were entwined on Dave's lap and he smiled, "Can I kiss you?" Kurt asked.

Dave looked over at him and smirked, "Why on earth do you feel you need to ask." He replied as he leaned towards Kurt, their lips meeting.

It started out slow, just a kiss, then it deepened, Kurt ran his tongue along Dave's lower lip, he turned so that he could stroke Dave's face, run his hands over his chest. Kurt could feel his heart beat quickening. He broke apart, breathing deeply and looked at Dave's eyes, filled with as much love and lust as his were, "maybe we should take this…elsewhere?"

Dave grinned, "Only if you want to."

"I want to," Kurt replied huskily.

They stood, making their way to Dave's bedroom. Kurt had never really been in it, he stepped into the room and smiled at Dave. There was a small knot of nervousness in his stomach, but he had the feeling Dave wasn't feeling much different.

Dave stepped forward, running his hand over Kurt's face, neck and shoulders, he dipped in for another kiss, deepening it immediately this time, tongue caressing the inside of Kurt's mouth as his hands dipped below the hem of Kurt's favorite shirt, he slowly began to push it up, grinning as he felt goose bumps on Kurt's skin. He didn't feel any hesitation as Kurt pulled apart and lifted his arms up for Dave to completely remove the shirt.

"Beautiful," Dave whispered, running his hands over Kurt's build abs, his pale skin, stroking his nipples. "So amazing," he whispered.

Kurt smiled as he sat down and scooted on the bed, Dave didn't hesitate in climbing onto the bed as well and beginning to kiss Kurt's torso everywhere, kiss and lick. He spent a few extra moments on both of Kurt's nipples, smiling as he realized there was a bulge in Kurt's jeans that hadn't been there the whole time. He was doing that, he was making Kurt feel excited, feel sexual.

"I feel a little exposed here," joked Kurt as he reached for the hem of Dave's shirt, but Dave suddenly pulled away, chiding himself for feeling nervous all of a sudden. "What, I was just kidding," Kurt replied as Dave hesitated. "Are you all right."

Dave looked at Kurt and sighed, "Sorry…I…" he shook his head, "It's stupid."

Kurt gently pulled Dave's chin up so that he could meet his eyes, "It's not stupid if it's making you feel this way."

"I'm…overweight."

Kurt would've hardly called it that, Dave was husky like many football players. He wasn't a string bean, but he'd lost weight since high school and Kurt was highly attracted to him. "I'm sorry for what I called you Dave. I really am. You're amazing, and I can't wait to see you. Come on, let's get back to where we were. I promise that world is behind us."

Dave gave a slow nod, allowing Kurt to remove his shirt. Yes, he was a little heavier, but he wasn't unfit, he had defined abs, and a lot of muscles. Kurt grinned as he let his hands glide of Dave's chest, he had a light speckling of chest hair, but not much. Kurt smiled as he kissed both Dave's nipples and kissed down towards Dave's jeans. "May I remove these?"

Dave could barely talk, his erection was practically trying to burst its way through. Kurt unbuttoned the jeans and slowly slid the zipper down with just enough pressure to send small vibrations through Dave's crotch, causing him to groan. Kurt smiled, knowing he could make someone come so undone. Dave's boxers were already parted, allowing Dave's erection to show. Kurt pressed his hand up against Dave, and grinned as Dave bucked against him slightly.

"You're beautiful," Kurt whispered as he pulled Dave's boxers down slowly then laid across his body, making sure his jeans rubbed up against Dave. The breathy moan was worth the wait as Kurt reached down and ran his hand over the tip of Dave's cock, stroking him once, twice and a third time over the very tip.

Dave moan again, before his hands grabbed Kurt's hips, "Off," he groaned, his voice husky and lower than usual. Kurt grinned as he slid out of his jeans and briefs, he rubbed his swollen member against Dave's grinning at the friction, both of them left gasping at the feelings.

"What do you want?" Dave asked, his eyes filled with lust, dilated.

"You," Kurt replied softly.

"Top or bottom?" Dave asked giving another throaty moan as Kurt gripped both their erections and started pumping.

"Not yet, not today, just enjoy the feeling." He continued to pump his hands, admittedly he hadn't had sex with anyone in nearly two years, he wasn't quite ready to open himself up like that yet, but this he could handle. He loved listening to Dave come undone, listening to the moaning and the instinctual way Dave thrust his hips as Kurt brought them both closer.

"So…" his words trailed off into another moan as he thrust his hips harder without even realizing it.

"Come for me, David," Kurt whispered as he released his own cock and just began to pump Dave's. Harder and harder, twirling at the tip slightly, then back down, he twisted as he went up this time and Dave let out a gasp, his whole body tensing as he dribbled cum over Kurt's hand. Kurt grinned as he just continued pumping, spreading the cum over the penis. He stopped when he felt Dave shiver and grow lax. Breathing heavily, Dave looked at Kurt and grinned. "You're amazing," Kurt whispered as he lay down beside Dave and kissed him.

"Can I?" Dave reached down, gently fondling Kurt's balls and erection, based on the moan he got from that alone, he knew it was okay. He began to steadily pump, just as Kurt had done a moment earlier. He spent extra time rolling Kurt's balls in his hand, squeezing them gently before stroking the penis again, over and over, occasionally dipping to lick one of his nipples. Kurt let out a gasped cry as his cum spilled onto his belly and Dave's hand. Dave grinned as he squeezed and pulled up again, pulling more cum from Kurt.

The two men gasped and laid there on the bed, grinning, "I think I need a shower," laughed Kurt.

Dave grinned as he turned his head to look at Kurt, "Thank you," Dave whispered.

"For?"

"Just being amazing."

Kurt leaned forward and pressed his lips lightly to Dave's, "I'm glad we've been given a chance."

"Me too," Dave replied softly, kissing Kurt once again, his eyes sliding shut. Kurt couldn't help but let his close as well.

o0o

When Dave opened his eyes the room was pitch dark except for the light from the hallway leaking through the crack in the door. Dave looked down at his body, still naked he felt sticky from their earlier escapades. He turned his head to look at Kurt and smiled, Kurt's head rested on his arm, mouth open slightly, his hot breath tickling Dave's bicep. He was curled up on his side, one leg out straight, the other against Dave's leg. One of his hands was tucked under his chin, the other lying against Dave's stomach.

Pulling his arm gently, so not to jerk Kurt awake, Dave pressed a kiss to Kurt's forehead before he slowly rolled out of the bed. He couldn't explain how good that had felt. For the first time in years he'd felt wanted, loved…desired. It was nice to feel special. He padded over to the bathroom in his bare feet, once he'd gone to the bathroom, he washed his hands and then grabbed a washcloth, soaking it with warm water. He wiped his groin, legs and stomach, before heading into the bedroom and gently doing the same to Kurt. "Dave?" Kurt stirred slightly as Dave finished wiping Kurt's stomach.

"Yeah?"

"Love you," mumbled Kurt, before he rolled over on his stomach and went back to sleep.

Dave felt his stomach do flip flops and his heart pound. He grinned and kissed the back of Kurt's head, "Me too," he murmured. He tossed the wash cloth in the pile of dirty clothes in the hamper, quickly made sure the house was locked and all the lights were off before he crawled back in the bed and pulled the covers up both of them. He lay there for a moment, staring at the outline of Kurt. He would've killed to have this moment fifteen years ago. He'd never thought it would've been possible. But now that it was here, all he could think about was keeping Kurt safe, happy and healthy. "Me too," he murmured one more time before closing his eyes and falling back to sleep.

o0o

Kurt woke the next morning to see Dave fast asleep on his stomach, snoring light. Sheets tangled around their waists. He grinned as he recalled what had occurred last night. At some point during the night the sheets had gotten pushed down around Dave's waist. Kurt drew his hands over Dave's check and torso, caressing his smooth skin. He felt the muscles ripple under his touch and he heard a small chuckle. "Ticklish?" Kurt asked without even looking up to see Dave's brown eyes looking at him.

"Maybe," he chuckled.

"Good morning," Kurt greeted him looking up at him, smiling as he kissed his lips.

"Morning." Dave replied, he decided not to say anything to Kurt about his previous confession last night, instead just going with whatever Kurt did. "What would you like to do for our perfect day off?"

"Sleep," joked Kurt as he scooted closer.

"Cold?"

Kurt smirked, "I don't know what you're talking about." He closed his eyes taking a slow deep breath. This felt good, it felt right. "Thanks for…for not pushing me last night."

Dave studied his partner for a moment, "I'm never going to push you into anything you don't want again, Kurt. I regret that I ever did."

"It's not a race, Kurt. Sex is fun and it should be, but it's also…" Dave paused he'd learned a lot from his second boyfriend, but his last boyfriend had been the one who'd put it all into perspective for him. "Sex is just that, unless it has attachment, but all sex has attachment, whether you want to admit it or not. Don't feel bad, because I don't think I was anymore ready for that step than you were, and there's no shame in that."

"Thank you."

Dave nodded and pressed a kiss to Kurt's head, "Sleep, we have the rest of tomorrow to enjoy our time together."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry once again with the delays, I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year, this story is almost over, just a couple more chapters left. Please read and review as always. **

**Chapter Nine –**

August quickly gave way to September, followed closely by a beautiful October as all the leaves began to change. Dave and Kurt were enjoying their new little family, while neither one spoke of forever yet, there was a hint there of something that Dave hoped would blossom further into a life and future with Kurt Hummel.

But as Dave stepped into the bedroom, looking at the fire licking the sides of the walls, he realized he'd underestimated what fate thought of him and Kurt Hummel.

It was a fire on the outskirts of New York, they pulled the truck to a stop in front of the blazing fire, and he studied the house for a moment before nodding to his men. Dave glanced over at a two children standing by the ambulance, "Is anyone left inside?" Dave asked the girl, she was probably in her late teens, her face covered with soot and tears. She was holding onto a smaller boy, probably about ten.

The teen nodded, "My dad, my mom is away at a conference," she cried.

"What's going on?" Jim walked up behind him.

Dave cursed under his breath, "Let's go, we've got someone inside, we're looking for a male about—" He called into his radio.

"Thirty," The teen provided.

Jim clapped Dave on the shoulder, "Let's go. Go in the same way we came out," stated Jim. Dave nodded as they gently smacked helmets together then pulled their masks on. Dave considered how the movies man firefighting out to be rather glorious at times. What they didn't say was the first things that hit you. The absolute stifling heat, sure it makes sense, fire equals hot, thus it would be hot in the house. But it wasn't just that, the gear firefighters wore was around thirty to sixty pounds of additional weight, and it was all fire proof, in most cases that meant that it trapped the heat in as much as it kept it out.

"I'm going upstairs," Dave called over his radio, testing the stairs to make sure they'd hold his weight. Heading upstairs into the hallway, he made note of a couple weakened floor boards, the fire hadn't originated from upstairs that much was for sure. It was lapping up the sides of the wall and through the banister though. The house would be a complete loss.

Remaining close to the wall, which would have additional support, he headed for the closed bedroom door at the opposite end of the hall, from what he assumed was the kids' bedroom, as both of those doors were open. He knocked on the door, before pushing it open.

Stepping through the room, he looked down at the bed and found the man still asleep, as if he'd never even woken up. "How does anyone miss this," he muttered, he took off his glove and reached out to check a pulse, feel his heart stop when he realized there wasn't one. "I need a back board in here!" Dave ordered over his radio.

A moment later two of the other men came in, "He's not breathing, and he's got no pulse, lets get him out." They quickly rolled the man onto the backboard and he watched the two carrying him through the hallway as carefully as they could. He quickly headed to follow them, when he heard a terrifying creak and crack beneath his feet at the hallway. The two other firemen stopped, looking at him. "Get him out, get him out now!" He commanded he knew what could happen. The floor wouldn't take the weight of four grown men; maybe by them leaving he'd be okay. He watched them leave; waiting an extra moment to make sure they got down the stairs before he took another step. The next step was too much. He cried out as the floor collapsed beneath him, taking him down. He felt as if he wasn't in his body any longer as he felt his body connect with what felt like concrete seconds later. His head smacking against the floor.

"Dave! DAVE!" Jim yelled across the radio as he raced down the stairs.

"Jim!" Len shouted, "Be careful damn it! We don't need two knuckle heads down."

"Has anyone located Dave?" Charlie, their Captain called over the radio, "We're trying to drench the flames, I'm ordering two more men in to start the water works."

"He just fell more than a story," Jim was trying not to panic as they searched frantically for their fallen comrade.

"He's going to be fine, remain calm, Henderson. You know better."

"Captain, this building isn't stable," Henry, the third fire fighter called as they stepped into the room with the hose, spraying everything down. "The whole thing could come down on us."

"We're not losing him!" Shouted Jim.

Charlie stood outside the building, his stomach churning as he waited for four of his ten men to come back out, bringing along the fifth man. He hated moments like this. It was every fireman's worst nightmare, a fallen brother. Dave was his boy; he'd watched David go from just a trainee to a rookie to an exceptional fireman. He loved all his men, but Dave held a special spot in his heart. "Come on, kid, come on," he murmured under his breath.

"We've found him!" Len's voice broke across the radio, "Possible spine and neck injuries we need that neck brace!" Len called as he snapped his fingers at another fireman that had just come in the fiery blaze. "Give me the med kit, we'll pull him out, you stay in here with Henry and help put the fire out, the more guys we've got on the fire the better," he directed the rookie who gave him a nervous nod.

"I've got a weak and rapid pulse," Jim stated as they carefully rolled Dave onto the back board and placed the brace around his neck. "I'm hearing wheezing, do you hear that?"

Len leaned over and listened for a minute, "Punctured lung?"

"Sounds like it, can we move him?"

"Let's go," Len stated as the two men lifted the board, "Captain, this is McKay, we're bringing Karofsky out." A moment later the two men stepped out of the building, between them the back board carrying Dave's unconscious form.

"Get me the stretcher!" Frank didn't hesitate as he hurried over to help the boys. They got Dave on the stretcher and two of their fellow EMS hurried on their diagnosis.

"He's got a thready pulse, possible shock, severe head trauma, and possible pnuemothorax," Jim rattled off as he watched two of the second shift guys work on his friend.

"Peg?" Carson asked, one of the EMS as he glanced over at her, she shook her head, "He's in cardiac arrest, lets get him on the wagon and go!" She ordered.

"James, go with him, you're no good to us here if you're head isn't in the game." Frank was doing it far more for his and Jim's benefit than he'd ever admit. There was no way he wasn't letting one of his men follow and see how he was. Jim barely acknowledge him as he hopped into the back of the ambulance where they were trying to revive his best friend. Frank turned back to the blazing house and sighed heavily. He hated days like these.

"Sir," one of the other EMS from the first ambulance stepped over to him. "The father didn't make it."

"Thank you, take me to the kids, get me precinct 32, they have a child services rep on the staff there, someone needs to watch out for these kids while they wait for their mom to get home."

"Yes, Captain."

**o0o**

Kurt was on a late shift, later than normal for him, he'd had a few run-overs and since Chris was at Rachel's for the afternoon and evening, he hadn't worried about getting home promptly. He was sitting behind the nurse's desk in the ER, looking over some patients' charts when the call came in.

"Trauma Alert ETA 5 minutes. Trauma Alert ETA 5 minutes."

Kurt pulled his feet off the desk when his phone vibrated in his pocket, he looked down to see Noah was calling him. "What the hell?" He answered, "I'm a little busy."

"I wanted to tell you before you saw it on the news or coming in your ER, it's Karofsky."

"What's Dave?"

"There was a fire on the East side, something happened and the house started to collapse, he was injured. They're bringing it to your hospital. Jim is going to be with him."

Kurt felt his world begin to spin, a moment later the ER doors hissed open. "What have we got?" Dr. Scott, one of Kurt's friends called.

He was unconscious, his face was covered in soot, one side of his head was covered in blood, they'd immobilized his neck and had a pressure bandage to his temple with the blood on it. An IV was already started. "Male, Caucasian, age, thirty-three, and sustained head wound, unconscious since leaving the scene. Multiple other minor lacerations, pneumothorax, broken ribs, sprained right arm."

Dr. Scott stood with the ER doors open, he looked over at gave Kurt a tight smile, "We'll take care of him, Kurt."

"Kurt?" A voice behind him startled him from his thoughts. Kurt turned and looked at the man who'd been speaking to him. It was Jim, Kurt took a moment to really look at Jim, he was handsome, probably around six foot, with kind eyes, he'd taken off his jacket and his helmet, but he still had his dark blue shirt and pants on. "Kurt?"

"Yes," Kurt managed to force out, trying not to let his voice waver. "Sorry."

"Jim Henderson," Jim offered, sticking his hand out. "We met at the picnic a few weeks back. I was with Dave in the building when it collapsed."

"What…" Kurt took a slow breath, feeling shaky.

"Kurt, sit down, I'll clock you out," Katie, his friend and favorite nurse had appeared what felt like out of nowhere, gently pushing him into a chair.

Kurt did as instructed, the other firemen sitting beside him. "What happened?" Kurt spoke again, trying to wrap his head around everything.

"We went in, typical search and rescue for us. We were told a person was still in there. Dave found him on the second floor, but the fire had probably originated around that area, because the floor boards were unstable. Dave ordered the rest of the fireman out with the victim. He thought maybe getting the rest of them out would allow him to get out safely. He were wrong. He heard the cracking then floor collapsed. He only hit one floor below, and we got him to safety, but…I'm really sorry."

Kurt nodded closing his eyes, "Is…is this…does this happen a lot?"

"No," Jim answered from where he now sat on Kurt's other side. "No it doesn't. And Dave is one of the best, he's been here long enough to know how to be careful. Unfortunately sometimes shit happens."

"Yeah." His thoughts moved to Ellie and Chris and suddenly he felt sick, "Ellie…someone needs to get Ellie."

Jim held up his hand, "You stay here, I'll call my wife to go pick her up. Do you want us to get your son too?"

"Yes…I'll call his mother to let her know Tori will get her."

But Noah Puckerman was already on it, he'd spoken to the Fire Chief as well as his own boss who'd given him the okay. He was on his way to the school, he pulled up in front of the school, sirens off but lights going and ran into the school. "Officer Puckerman, is everything all right?" The principal questioned from where she'd been monitoring the hallway.

"No, I'm here for Ellie Karofsky and Christopher Hummel."

Her brows furrowed, "This is very unusual—"

"David was injured; we need to get them to the hospital now."

She nodded, "Very well, I'll make sure to check both students out, you may go." She headed to the main office while Noah hurried down the hallway to find his wife's classroom. He looked into the room, they were in the middle of reading time clearly, his wife glanced up in the doorway and her eyes grew concerned.

Noah strengthened his resolve, before he gripped the handle and stepped inside. "Kids, you all remember my husband, Officer Puckerman." Noah waved at the chorus of 'Hi Officer Puckerman.' Meanwhile, Cheryl made her way over to him, "What's wrong? You look sick?"

He stepped closer, "David was hurt on the scene of a fire, I'm here for Ellie, and Christopher."

"Is…is he going to be all right?"

Noah shrugged, "I don't know yet baby." He whispered, without hesitation he dropped a kiss to her head, aware it was unprofessional but days like this made him appreciate his ex even though they weren't still together.

"I'll get their things, I'll be over as soon as schools out."

"Thanks, and will you let Rachel know if you get a moment?"

She nodded, "Of course." She turned back to the class, "Ellie, Chris could you two come over here please?"

The two kids stood, gripping one another's hands, they were clueless, they could sense something was wrong. Noah knelt down in front of them, looking directly at Ellie. "Baby…" he sighed, "Ellie, sweetie, there's been an accident."

"Uncle Dave?" She whispered, her eyes growing damp.

"Yeah, he's at the hospital right now with Uncle Kurt, but we need to get you there, okay?"

"Okay," she whimpered.

Chris grabbed her hand tighter, "I'm coming," he stated as if to protect her.

"I know kiddo, let's get your stuff and go, okay?"

A few minutes later, with another quick parting kiss from his ex, Noah got both kids in the cruiser and headed to the hospital, all too aware of the quiet whimpers from the back. He sympathized with her, the fear even he felt right now. It was always painful to think about losing someone, especially a firefighter or cop.

With two kids in tow, Ellie on his hip, and Chris gripping his hand, Noah stepped into the waiting room a few minutes later. Kurt was seated; head leaned back against the wall, eyes closed. Jim was sitting there as well, looking solemn as he held a cell phone against his ear. "Daddy," Chris whimpered.

Kurt's head shot up and he opened his blue green eyes to see his kids, "Ellie, come here you," he reached out for Chris and Ellie, both of them rapidly hurrying over to him as he cuddled them close.

"Is Uncle Dave gonna die?" Ellie whimpered.

"I don't know, sweetheart," Kurt replied, he couldn't lie to a child, it wasn't in his nature. He couldn't find it in his heart to tell her yes at the risk that he wouldn't be. Instead he held them both on his lap, arms around their waist and hoped that that would be enough for now.

"Kurt?" Dr. Scott's voice startled them sometime later. In the past hour that they'd been sitting there several other firemen had come as well as couple other cops from the force who'd seen what transpired. "Could I have a word with you?"

Kurt nodded, allowing Noah to take the two kids off his lap, Jim stood as well, following Kurt. They stepped over to a more private corner where they wouldn't be heard. "How…how is he?" Kurt asked, feeling his stomach churn again.

"He's in critical condition right now," Dr. Scott sighed, "I'm sorry, guys I wanted to give you better news, but I can't. He's critical right now, his lungs sustained some smoke damage on top of the punctured lung. We have him on a ventilator to help his lungs, but our primary concern is risk of either infection or pneumonia. His head injury was also very worrisome, he hasn't regained consciousness, and there's some signs of swelling. We're doing what we can to keep that down."

"When will he wake up?" Jim asked.

This all felt too familiar, Kurt felt like he was standing in Lima Memorial again, listening to his father's diagnosis. "We don't know if he will," Dr. Scott explained. "The sooner he wakes the better off he is. We've taken care of all his minor injuries. All we can do now is wait," Dr. Scott paused before he looked at Kurt, "It may not be a bad idea to call his parents."

"Okay."

"Take a few days off, Kurt, we'll handle your patients."

Kurt just nodded, still feeling like he was outside his body. This shouldn't be happening, couldn't be happening. He felt his hands shaking, "Come on, Kurt, lets go take a seat. Dr. Scott when can we go see him?"

"He's in recovery right now, we just fixed the pnuemothorax, as soon as we've got him settled in the ICU, then you can see him. I would strongly caution you from letting his niece inside."

"Thank you," was all Jim said as he gently led Kurt back into the waiting room. All eyes were on them as Kurt was pushed ever so gently into a plastic chair. Jim pushed his head down, seeing that Kurt was starting to hyperventilate.

"I can't do this again," he whimpered.

Noah sat the kids back in the chair and stepped over to them, "Tell me he isn't dead," Noah whispered.

"No, he's critical though. He's in a coma."

Noah reached out and wrapped both his arms around Kurt, pulling him close. They hadn't been supportive back when it had been his father in the hospital; this was his chance now to be supportive. "I'm going to go let Ellie know…and call his folks."

Noah just nodded as he rubbed Kurt's back. Kurt wasn't much of an affectionate individual, but Noah wasn't about to sit by and let him suffer alone. "Kurt, your dad came out fine, I'm sure Dave will too."

Kurt looked up and watched as Ellie cried in Jim's arms, he held her close, trying to console the child. Even Chris looked desolate as he tried to hide his own tears. "I…" Kurt just closed his eyes. He hadn't thought it would be so terrifying. Sure he'd been wise enough to know there was the possibility that Dave could get injured on the job, but he hadn't really been honest with himself at the real possibility it was.

"Rachel called while you were back there, she just got out of rehearsals, but she's on her way," Noah provided quietly.

"Thank you."


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N: Sorry Grad school is literally kicking my butt, they really need to warn people about this stuff! Anyway have I mentioned how much I just adore this series. I'm actually starting to think about turning it into an actual novel (obviously with different characters). So keep your eyes open because it just makes me feel happy when I write it. _  
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**Chapter Ten –**

It was nearing seven, nearly four hours since Dave had been brought in, the majority of the fireman had cleared out after the status update, mostly because they either had to get to work or head home. Only Len, Frank, Jim, Tori, Puckerman and Cheryl remained of the group. Kurt was sitting with Ellie who'd cried herself to sleep in his lap, next to Cheryl. Rachel was on his other side, having arrived nearly thirty minutes ago, Chris was held in her lap, all of them were quiet. Frank had already been in touch with David's parents by the time Jim had called and they were on a plane, they would arrive sometime around nine or ten. Someone had also called his father, thus meaning Burt was on his way as well.

"Dr. Hummel?" One of the ICU nurses stepped into the waiting room, she gave a tight but sweet smile, while Kurt tried to recall her name without looking at her badge. He wasn't as familiar with the ICU nurses, he was closer to the gen med, allied med and ER nurses usually, as well as a majority of the peds nurses. "You can see him now."

Kurt nodded as he stood, carefully cradling Ellie in his arms. Tori stood and gently removed her from his arms, "You go first. Let us know if they should see him, if not we'll figure out how to tell her."

"Thank you," was all he could manage as he slowly made his way back with the nurse, her name was Kathy.

"How…how is he?" Kurt asked as they walked through the corridor towards the ICU room. They'd moved up to the ICU waiting room shortly after being told he'd be moved. Kurt had left instructions with Katie down on the 1st floor what Dave's father looked like, as well as his own and where to send them if needed.

"He still hasn't woken up, and isn't breathing on his own. His other injuries are very minor. If he woke up tomorrow, I'd say he could return to work in a couple weeks."

"Yeah," Kurt replied quietly.

Kathy looked at him, "Dr. Hummel, if there's anything we can do for you, just let us know. I know you don't come down to our world very often…but that doesn't mean we don't know of you and what a great doctor you are."

Kurt gave her a slight nod, "Thanks, Kathy."

She stopped at the door, and Kurt took a moment to look through the window. He felt his stomach drop. Prior to this point it hadn't quite felt real. He had hundreds of patients in the past fifteen years, he'd seen patients in his ER rotation far worse off than Dave was right now, patients that were on life support rather than just a breathing apparatus. But this…this made it unbelievably real and more painful than he ever could've imagined. Even the pain he'd felt over his father seemed dim compared to this. He took a large breath of air into his struggling lungs and pushed the door open. The familiar hiss of the ventilator met his ear, then the heart monitor, as well as the other machines. The click of the door made everything feel that much louder. "Dave?" he whispered, stepping closer. He looked down and gripped his fingers, looking at the hand that was larger than his own. He closed his eyes, tears threatening to surface. He had to be strong, just like he had been for his dad. The only issue this time was he knew what Dave's injuries meant.

Temporary limited mobility, he may have trouble using his hands or legs, he could have amnesia, or he could be blind, mentally handicapped, he ticked each one off mentally. If the swelling and hemorrhaging became worrisome enough, they'd have to perform surgery. That would be within the first 48 hours if the pressure became too much and if he remained stable.

Suddenly knowing the information he knew felt worse than knowing absolutely nothing. He pressed a kiss to the hand, "I need you to wake up, Dave. Please, wake up?" Letting out a shaky breath, Kurt sat down in a nearby chair. He'd been sitting in the waiting room for hours, he needed a few minutes.

Somewhere deep inside, he'd always understood the dangers, always assumed they were worse than Dave told him. But now to be faced with them, so early on in the relationship, it was unsettling. He didn't know what to do. He adored David, he felt his lungs hitched, and wiped at his cheeks, realizing they were damp from tears. He did love David. He _loved _David Karofsky. Suddenly idea that he'd have to live through this day after day terrified him, shook him to his very core.

"Kurt?" Jim's voice startled him from his thoughts, he glanced over his shoulder to see the fireman standing there, staring at Dave's form.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you," Kurt answered, his voice void of emotion.

Jim stepped inside and gripped Kurt's shoulder, "We're headed home, I spoke with the nurse she gave us an update but explained that visiting hours are over."

Kurt's eyebrows furrowed, "It's only seven…" Kurt glanced at his watch and his eyes grew wide.

"You've been sitting here for nearly an hour, it's okay. We all understand, but we'll be back tomorrow. I just wanted to let you know. Also your father and Dave's parents arrived. The nurse…Katie, I think, said she'd let them in as soon as you were ready. Tori and I are taking Ellie and Chris home."

"Thank you," Kurt finally managed to reply.

Jim nodded, "That's what family does. Dave's family. Call if you need anything, Kurt."

"Jim," Kurt stopped him, and looked back at the man. He considered him for a long moment, taking his every feature in. "I…What if I'm not strong enough to do this?"

Jim seemed to understand instantly. He stepped forward so they were only a foot or so apart and he smiled, "Dave told me about your past, what he did to you. Based off what I've heard, there isn't much you can't do. You are very strong, Kurt. I can't tell you how to live your life, and I sure as hell can't help you work through this…because I'm going to see it from Dave's point of view. But maybe you should talk to Tori and Cheryl a little. I think they'll both have a world of insight for you that might help you….make sense of all of this."

Kurt kept his mouth shut, and nodded, eyes still threatening to over flow with more tears. Jim stunned him when he stepped forward and grabbed him in a tight hug. "Welcome to our family," was all he said, before he released Kurt and stepped out of the room.

Kurt turned and looked at Dave, reached down he took Dave's hand once more, "You have incredible friends," he whispered. "I love you," he murmured, pressing a kiss to Dave's cool forehead.

He moved towards the door, closing it behind him, and struggling to compose himself. He had closed his eyes for a moment when he felt a familiar pair of strong arms wrap around his lithe body. "Dad," he cried into his father's shoulder.

Katie's eyes were watering as she looked at Paul, "Why don't we step inside," she offered, opening the door to Dave's room. Paul nodded thanks, before looking at Burt then stepping into the hospital room.

"I'm here now, kiddo," Burt whispered holding his son. He sighed and hugged his boy closer for a long moment, not wanting to end the hug. "Let's get you home, kiddo."

"I should talk to Mr. Karofsky-"

"Paul and I have already talked, we've agreed to have breakfast tomorrow morning here. For now, you need sleep, you're not going to help anyone if you collapse in exhaustion, don't think Carole didn't tell me about my heart attack and your behavior. You can't self destruct, Kurt. You can mourn and cry, but you can't ignore yourself, not when you have a child to care for. Not anymore."

"I can't go back to my apartment dad….can we go to David's."

"We can go wherever will make you the most at comfortable," Burt replied.

They'd just arrived at the house when there was a knock at the door, Kurt opened the door, having had his own key for a short period of time now. "Tori?" He was surprised to see her, but when two small children popped out from behind her, he realized why.

"They couldn't sleep and they were worried about you and Dave, so I figured I'd take a shot in the dark and bring them over here….I don't have to leave them here."

Kurt shook his head, Ellie launched herself at him, and he easily scooped her up into his arms. Chris latched onto his leg, and he gently stroked his son's hair. "No, I think I'll sleep better with them here anyway, thank you Tori."

Tori nodded, she looked at him for a moment longer, "I know you're a guy, and no matter what anyone says even gay guys are still guys. If you ever need to talk about…anything, this or anything else, don't hesitate to call me or come see me."

"You talked to Jim?"

"Yes and no, I assumed you'd struggle with this long before he told me you were. What you feel…it's normal, Kurt. Believe me we all went through it."

"Thank you." He felt like he'd been saying that a lot lately. All the same, Tori turned and headed back across the street to her car. "Come on you two, lets get you into bed."

"You need any help?" Burt offered as he stepped into the living room from the kitchen.

"Grandpa, are you here for daddy?" Chris asked as he hurried over and embraced his grandfather.

Burt bent down and picked Chris up, cuddling him close, "I'm here for you too, kiddo."

"If you want to get Chris ready for bed, I'll help Ellie."

Burt nodded, "Sure thing."

Kurt was in Ellie's bedroom, helping her change as she sat silently on the bed. "What happens if he dies?" the voice was painfully small.

He felt his heart pound in his ears, whatever he said had to be good. This was a six year old child. It couldn't be medical, or clinical like he was with patients, she wasn't his daughter, he had to be honest with her. He walked over and crouched down in front of her, he gripped her hands gently in his and looked at the tiny fingers for a moment. "Ellie, sweetie, I'd love to tell you everything is going to be okay, but you're smart enough to know when someone is lying. The truth is sweetie, I don't know what's going to happen, but what I can assure you of, is you don't have anything to be afraid of because me, and Jim, and all of Uncle Dave's friends, as well as your grandpa aren't going to let anything happen to you. You'll always have a home with me and Chris. I promise you, you have absolutely nothing to fear okay."

She bit her lip, tears slowly falling down her cheeks. Kurt reached out and wiped them away, he then pulled her close as she sobbed against his shoulder. He couldn't stop himself as he slowly sat on the floor, still holding her as he started to cry too. "Daddy?" a soft voice pulled them both from their sorrows, Kurt looked up to see Chris standing in the doorway, looking desolate.

"Come here, Peanut," he grabbed both his babies in his arms and held them close. "We're going to be okay. I promise," he whimpered. After a few more minutes of holding them, he pulled away and looked at them both, "Why don't you two hop in bed, do you mind sharing tonight, Ellie?"

She shook her head, and he led them both back over to the bed, they both crawled under, cuddling close. He looked down at his two and realized that he loved Ellie as much as he loved Chris. "Close your eyes," he whispered as he gently ran his fingers through Ellie's hair. Chris was gripping her hand close, both of them trying to comfort her.

_Baby mine, don't you cry._  
><em>Baby mine, dry your eyes.<em>  
><em>Rest your head close to my heart,<em>  
><em>never to part, baby of mine.<em>

_Little one, when you play,_  
><em>pay no heed what they say.<em>  
><em>Let your eyes sparkle and shine,<em>  
><em>never a tear, baby of mine.<em>

_If they knew all about you,_  
><em>they'd end up loving you, too.<em>  
><em>All those same people who scold you,<em>  
><em>what they'd give just for the right to hold you.<em>

_From your hair down to your toes,_  
><em>you're not much, goodness knows.<em>  
><em>But, you're so precious to me,<em>  
><em>sweet as can be, baby of mine<em>

Standing, and pulling the door shut behind him, Kurt closed his eyes taking a moment to lean on it and let out the breath he'd been holding. "You need to give yourself a break kiddo," Burt's voice interrupted his worry-filled thoughts.

"I'm not sure I know how to do that anymore. Why is it, every time things are going so well…bad things happen?"

Burt stepped forward and wrapped an arm around his son's shoulders, "It's called life and love son." He maneuvered his son away from the door and towards the couch where they both took a seat silence surrounding them.

"Dave's father informed me that he called David's mother. Has David ever mentioned his mother before?"

"No….at least not since we started dating."

Burt nodded, "Well, just to be prepared, from the sounds of it they're somewhat estranged. When Dave wakes up he may need your support more than usual son, I'm not sure how she's going to handle everything quite yet, and Paul didn't seem very sure himself."

"Dave mentioned that he told both his parents…but I believe I remember Mr. Karofsky remarrying when we were in middle school."

"I did," Paul spoke, stepping into the house, he held up a key. "Sorry, I let myself in when no one answered, Dave gave me a key after Steven's death, I can go to a hotel."

"Why," chuckled Burt as he stood and shook Paul's hand, "It's your son's house, we're just staying here."

"Thank you, to answer your questions, Kurt, I remarried to my wife Leslie during David's 8th grade year, probably right around the time his attitude towards life in general began to change. I can't tell you everything that happened, that's not my place because some of it occurred between them, but Dave hasn't seen his mother since he was fifteen and their last conversation was less than friendly."

"Do you think she'll reject his sexual preference?" Burt asked.

Paul shook his head, "No, in fact I think she handled it better than me. However, Dave and his mother were always very close and then suddenly she up and left, I have no doubt she believes she had her reasons but none of them were things I understood. I just don't want this to hinder his healing, but I felt she had the right to know about her child."

Kurt looked at Paul seriously for a moment, "If it were me and I weren't getting along with a family member and my life were in jeopardy I'd want that person here too. I don't think what you did was wrong. If Dave does we will deal with that."

Paul nodded as he studied Kurt, "You've grown into quite the young man from what I hear."

"Not so young anymore," Kurt chuckled.

"You're still my little boy," Burt replied nudging his kid.

"Last I saw of you two, we were having some difficulty, and now you're dating my boy, you can imagine the oddness of the situation to both your father and I. But I also understand from my boy that you play an integral part in him coming out and for that I should thank you."

"Thank me?"

Paul smiled, "Before he came out of the closet he was always angry, always upset and very difficult to talk to, I didn't have a relationship with my boy...not like the one you and your father have. You're very lucky, Kurt. And yes right after he came out it wasn't much better, but suddenly my son was honest with me, and forward about his sexuality and determined to be loved in lieu of it. That was the boy I'd loved since the day he was born. Dave and I haven't always had the strongest relationship, truth is I was closer to his brother, but I loved my sons, and Dave is a wonderful man now and I have no doubt part of that is because you gave him a confidence I couldn't. I can only hope he and I can eventually be as close as you and your father one day."

"I do love him."

Paul nodded, "And he loves you very deeply as well, he tells me every time he calls how his week is going and often times it includes his days with you. You hold onto that love, because the next few weeks may be rough, but he cares very deeply for your. And I hope that while it may take me some time to adjust to all of this, that you and I can develop a friendship at some point as well."

"I'd really like that, Mr. Karofsky."

"Paul, call me Paul. There's a room upstairs, so I'm going to go ahead and get some rest, goodnight son, night Burt."

"Thank you," Kurt gathered what strength he had and looked to his father, "I'm going to try and get some sleep."

"Sure thing, kiddo."

Kurt nodded, then gave a final short smile to Amelia, before he headed down the hall to Kurt's room. He shut the door and slid down it slowly, closing his eyes he buried his face in his hand and what felt like he'd been holding back for days, he let out. His shoulders shaking in silent sobs, he cried it all out on the floor.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven –**

Kurt awoke early the next morning and headed into the kitchen for a cup of coffee surprised to find Paul Karofsky seated in the kitchen looking down at one of Dave's pictures. Kurt knew instantly just by the frame it was Dave's favorite picture, his graduation from the fire academy.

"That's his favorite picture," Kurt commented quietly, before turning to slip out.

"No stay," Paul called, "It's not good for a man my age to be sitting alone worrying."

Kurt gave a small tight smile before sitting down at the bar across from Paul, "He's a strong man, Mr. Karofsky."

"Paul, and I know. He always was, he's a great kid, one I'm proud of. But I missed a few years I can't get back. Then Steven died," Paul outlined his eldest son's figure in the picture. Steven was handsome, he looked more like Paul and he was beaming in the picture, his imprint caught forever. "They were best friends, it's kind of a slap to the face when your eldest son tells you to man up and love his brother no matter what." Paul looked up at Kurt for a long moment, "I'm not like your father, I didn't know how to love someone so different from me, or at least what I thought was different. But Dave wasn't different, he was just like me, it took the death of my only other son to figure out I was losing more by pushing him away."

"Even in high school, I could tell he idolized you." Kurt smiled, "Probably one of the two things we had in common during high school, neither one of us wanted to let our dad down."

"I don't think you could ever let your father down."

"You'd be surprised, I'm pretty sure despite his willingness to love me, he wasn't thrilled at my sexual orientation."

Paul smirked, "How could he be, the idea of your only child suffering at the hands of a bully like my son. No I think both of us had ideas of our children that weren't realistic."

"You adjusted, so did he, that's what counts, Paul."

Kurt jumped whne phone vibrated against his pocket and he looked down to see Katie calling him, "Hello?"

_"Dr. Scott just informed me that your favorite patient is showing signs of increased brain activity and may wake up today." _

"Is he breathing on his own yet?"

_"No, but Cameron feels there may be a possibility that if he continues to improve he could be off by tomorrow." _

"Thank you, Kate. I'll be there in an hour."

_"Sure thing, Boss."_

Kurt smiled and hung up the phone, but he still felt torn. And despite Dave's critical condition, he had a right to know what Kurt was going through. He took a shaky breath and looked down at the picture. He did love that man, but did he love him as much as David needed, was he willing to accept all that came with Dave's job and life? Because he certainly couldn't ask Dave to leave.

"He loves you, son. He'll wait for you," Paul explained simply.

Kurt looked at the older Karofsky before nodding and heading out of the room.

**o0o**

Kurt stepped into the hospital room nearly an hour later, surprised to find a woman, Amelia Karofsky, he assumed, sitting there, watching her only remaining child sleep. She glanced over at him briefly before she returned her dark brown eyes to her son's sleeping figure. "You must be Kurt."

"Yes," Kurt stated.

"I'm his mother, but I assume he hasn't really told you all that much about me."

Kurt shook his head, "Can't say that he has, no. But then, David has always been private about certain things and I know when to not push," well he hadn't, but it was a lesson he'd learned very quickly.

"He's not going to be happy I'm here."

"I'm sorry," he wasn't really sure how to respond, instead he studied Dave's chart and the machines, they were showing improvement.

"Judging by the way you look at that, you're a doctor."

"Physical therapist, but yes, I still know my way around charts and vitals."

"How is he doing?"

Kurt nodded, "He's showing signs of improvement, which for what he went through is very good. He won't be out of danger until he wakes up, but that takes time especially under a sedative."

"Do I have time to grab some coffee?"

"Go grab breakfast, there's a nice café across the street, serves excellent wraps. I'll let Dave know you're here when he wakes up."

"Thank you."

Half an hour later, Kurt was seated in the room alone, watching over Dave, still wrestling with his internal voice, debating what the right move was. Was there a right move? He was gripping Dave's hand in his own, the rest of the family had gone for awhile, when he felt the hand grip back. "David?"

Dave was fighting the breathing tube, Kurt checked a couple read outs and hit the call button, he moved over to the top of Dave's head, "Dave, I need you to calm down, you have a breathing tube in because you had a punctured lung." He kept reading the machines, the pulse-ox and the O2 levels all looked well within normal, he glanced at Kathy who came into the room. "I'd like to pull the ventilator; he appears to be breathing on his own."

"Dr. Scott said if you had suggestions to listen, you're listed as Dave's primary."

Kurt rolled his eyes and looked down at the familiar brown eyes, "I'll comment on that later. I need you to close your eyes and calm down, now on the count of three I want you to cough for me." Dave blinked once, he understood. "One, two, three!" A second later, Dave was groaning as he coughed and his lungs spasmed in pain.

"Shit," groaned Dave as he hugged his ribs.

"Sorry," Kurt replied as he handed Kathy the tube to dispose of. He watched the screens carefully, making sure there wasn't a possible code in Dave's future. But after a few moments, his blood pressure returned to normal, as did his heart rate. Kurt pulled out his penlight, "I need to run some cursory exams, Dave." He flashed the light in both eyes, looking over at Kathy, "Pupils are reactive and clear, I expect Dr. Scott to want another CT and MRI of his head just to make sure of the swelling, it's early enough they may be able to get him down there in about an hour if he's up to it." He turned back to his partner, "Dave you gripped my hand, can you grip the other one?"

Dave nodded very slowly and gripped Kurt's hand with his other hand. "Good, and now press against my hands with your feet?" The first minutes were crucial in determining the damage to someone's spinal cord. Both Dave's feet pressed against his hands. "Thank you," he glanced at Kathy, "There's some minimal rotation loss in his left foot, probably due to the knee injury, run an MRI on the knee to see if there's additional swelling in his nerves and tendons."

"Okay, can do."

Kurt returned to Dave's side, his hand on Dave's shoulder. "Hi," he whispered.

Dave gave him a weak and warm smile, "Hello."

"It's a little too early, but it looks like you're doing well. Do you remember what happened?"

Dave closed his eyes, taking a weak breath in, Kurt would have to instruct him to breath normally despite the pain if he wanted his lungs to ever be back to normal, shorting breathing wouldn't help Dave in a fire. "Fell."

"Right, and I'd highly appreciate if you'd never do it again," Kurt laughed, unable to hide the tears in his eyes.

"Sorry, Fancy," Dave replied, his eyes beginning to droop.

"Go to sleep, Dave, I'll be here when you wake up."

Dr. Scott walked in and grinned, "Excellent, I got paged my patient woke up, knocked him right back out, huh Hummel."

Kurt chuckled, "I did a cursory exam."

"Excellent, how's he looking?"

"Lung function, despite the damage appears good, we should still watch for fluid buildup. He's doing some weak breathing to keep from feeling the pain, I'll coach him out of that. He appears to have full use of all his feet, and fingers, there's some minor limitation in his left foot and ankle, based off the inflation in his knee I'm inclined to say it's causing more of that then the actual brain."

"You think a nerve was damaged?"

Kurt shrugged, "I'm having them run an MRI, we'll see if it is, I think it's more likely that the muscles and ligaments took one hell of a beating and it hurts so bad to move any part of it that he's not out of instinct. There's nothing that would show sign of nerve damage, especially because it's not on the side impacted by the swelling."

"Fair assumption, how's his memory, speech and hearing."

"Reactive and fine, he isn't very vocal, but I haven't met many coma patients who are right after waking up and having a ventilator slide along their throat."

Dr. Scott chuckled as he looked over a couple other notations, "Heart rate good, blood pressure good. For a guy who's body just went through hell, he's doing surprisingly well. The CT and MRI machines are both cleared, I was going to have him down there for testing anyway this morning, you may go with them, please make sure to inform them to use the non-reactive dye, he's allergic to the reactive." Kurt nodded, he turned to leave the room, when Dr. Scott stopped him, "By the way, I was wondering if you wanted the job?"

Kurt looked confused as he turned to face his friend, "What job?"

Cameron looked bewildered, "The head of Allied medicines job. You must have known I've been deciding for months now…well okay not really made the decision months ago. Mostly I was faking it for the benefit of others."

"You're serious."

"I'd say as a heart attack but that seems inappropriate. Yes, I'm serious; the job is yours if you want it."

Kurt grinned, "Of course I want it!"

Cameron grinned and clapped Kurt on the shoulder, "Excellent, now I don't have to hunt you down."

"Thank you."

Cameron shrugged nonchalantly as they stepped out of the room, "You're the best I've got, Kurt. Don't think I don't know that. Anyone who says this is favoritism hasn't seen you work. You've worked your tail off to earn this and it's all yours.

"Thanks, Cam."

Dr. Scott nodded, and with another pat on Kurt's shoulder, he headed in the opposite direction. Leaving Kurt reeling from this morning.

**Chapter Twelve**

Dave was tired, three days into sitting in the hospital bed and staring at the wall, talking to his mother, father and friends, he was ready to be rid of this place. They'd told him two more days, they'd already put him on the step down unit, he wasn't in the ICU anymore. All his tests had come back showing rapid improvement. On top of that, he'd noticed in the past couple days, Kurt had been avoiding him. Or rather, instead of avoiding, more like avoiding alone time with him.

Kurt had clearly been happy, there had been no denying that, as soon as Dave woke up. He'd spent the first six hours with him nonstop, he'd been happy, or at least he seemed happy. But now that a few days had gone by, Dave was beginning to notice other things.

"I call it hell," Jim had explained earlier that morning when Dave described what was happening.

"What do you mean hell?"

Jim sighed and sat at the end of the bed, "Remember when I got thrown back during that explosion my second year of my marriage? I was unconscious for two days, scared the shit out of Tori."

"Yeah."

"She went through this time where she didn't know if she could be with a fireman, my dad had it too with mom, said it's when they realize that every single moment could be this horrifically painful, and they're trying to decide between protecting their hearts and being enough for us."

"You think that's what's happening?"

Jim shook his head, "I know it is. Let him talk to you about it, but he's going to figure it out. He does love you, Dave; I don't doubt that, I watched that boy fret like crazy over you. He definitely loves you."

"Thanks, Jimmy."

"Anything for you, homeboy. Listen, get better soon the station is super dull without you around to mess with the rookies."

Dave smiled as he remembered the rest of their conversation. He was so thankful to have Jim, he'd helped with so much of the pain from his brother, and his issues in the past. He sighed as he looked out the window, wishing he was out there now.

Kurt chose that moment to walk through the door, "Hey," he greeted coolly, as he took a seat next to Dave.

"Hi."

"How do you feel?"

Dave glanced at his body, "All things considering, not too bad. How about you?"

Kurt rebuffed at that question, "I'm fine."

"Kurt, I'm not dumb, what's going on. You don't think I've noticed the way you're pulling away."

Kurt sighed as he pushed out of the chair nervously and walked over to the window, "I…I'm sorry," Kurt's voice was just above a whisper.

Dave studied Kurt's back for a moment, before the man turned and moved slowly back over to the bed, "What for?"

Kurt shook his head, tears swimming in his eyes, "Please forgive me, David. Because…" Kurt heave a shaky breath, "I've spent days trying to figure this out, trying to figure out how to…how to cope with all of this."

"My being a fire fighter."

Kurt nodded slowly, "I thought I could…understand, I've seen all of you guys, hell Noah is my best friend but now." He closed his eyes, tears trailing down his cheeks, "This is unlike anything I've ever experienced before. I've never been so terrified. I love you so…so completely."

"You love me?"

Kurt realized he hadn't really said that before, he scooted closer and took Dave's hand and nodded, "I do love you. More than you could even imagine, more than I certainly thought possible after only a few months." He paused, "I shouldn't be doing all of this, it's too soon."

"Hey, I'm going to be fine, you know that. But I have the feeling this is something you have to get off your chest."

"I thought I understood, I thought I could comprehend all of this," he gestured around. "But then faced with the…the possibility that I could be raising two kids or more on my own, the thought of living my life…" It was clear he was struggling to figure out what to say and how best to say it. "I have to make sure that I'm strong enough for this, Dave. That I'm strong enough for you."

Dave realized that Kurt wasn't as strong as he'd thought, Kurt wasn't weak, but Dave could tell Kurt was struggling with the idea of what all this could mean. "Kurt, you don't have to be strong for me."

"Yes I do," Kurt replied, shaking his head and looking away for a moment, "You deserve to be so happy, and you make me happier than I ever imagined. But you deserve someone who understands the sacrifice you might have to make one day."

Dave could see Kurt was struggling, that he was trying to come to terms with it right now. "Kurt, don't force yourself into this. Everyone who's with a cop, or a fireman, or even the military has to accept these dangers. We accepted them when we signed the paperwork, but you're the one who will have to live with whatever the aftermath is. You have every right to feel torn and terrified. I don't blame you. Believe me, it wasn't something I entered into lightly."

"You deserve better, I'm sorry."

Dave pulled Kurt closer with all the strength he could muster and hugged him close. "Take whatever time you need, as much space as you need." Pulling back he looked at his lover, stroked his cheek. "I love you too, so much. I've waited seventeen years for you, a couple more days, weeks or months aren't going to hurt."

"Thank you."

Dave nodded and pressed his lips to Kurt, thankful when he felt the kiss returned with passion. "I do love you."

"I love you too." Kurt stood slowly, and left the room, leaving Dave alone to consider what had just occurred.

o0o

Tori was doing laundry when she heard the door bell ring. She headed out of the basement and up to the front door, surprised to see Kurt standing there. "Kurt," she greeted as she opened the door. "Everything all right?"

Kurt nodded, but then stopped short and shook his head, "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course, come on in, did you want something to drink or eat?"

"No, thank you."

They took a seat on the couch, Tori waited, having the feeling she knew what this was all about. "How do you…do it?"

Tori smiled sadly and nodded, "Did you know when a fireman dies…the Fire Chief or Captain comes in the SUV and knocks on your door to tell you personally. Even though your husband, wife, sibling, parent dies you're faced with this huge family of support. Kurt, I can't give you the right answer, I can only tell you how we cope. I met Cheryl…through a group of supporters, most of us try to live around one another, or go to support meetings as a way to cope with that fear. I guess in some ways I'm lucky, my dad was a fireman….and a fire took his life, so I know what it's like to wait everyday by the phone in fear."

"What if I'm not strong enough?"

"You are so much stronger than you think. Look at you, you've raised an incredible boy, he's going to be an amazing young man. You've built this empire of power around you at the hospital, I can't tell you the number of people who saw me near you and just gave me so much support and love. Kurt, it hurts and it's scary, but it's very rewarding."

"What happened to your dad?"

"9-11," she replied softly, giving him a very tight smile.

"I'm so sorry."

"Me too, sorry that I didn't get to spend more time with him, I was lucky, I was about ten when he died…my sisters weren't so lucky. But daddy died to help someone else live. It's not in vain, Kurt. What they do every day is to protect us and make our lives better. To make sure our children live and can tell others about their triumphs. No one will judge you or blame you if you do walk away, Kurt." She gripped his hand, "I guarantee you, because all the fireman will know why, and all the wives will sympathize, and we'll all still love you."

"I do love him."

She nodded, "I know. If you didn't, walking away would be easy. His last boyfriend didn't have much trouble with it. But Kurt, you're struggling, because of how much you love him. There's no fault in that, no shame. What you're doing is being honest and he can't fault you for that kind of pain."

"Will you tell me about your dad?"

She smiled, "Of course."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

Dave was tired, three days into sitting in the hospital bed and staring at the wall, talking to his mother, father and friends, he was ready to be rid of this place. They'd told him two more days, they'd already put him on the step down unit, he wasn't in the ICU anymore. All his tests had come back showing rapid improvement. On top of that, he'd noticed in the past couple days, Kurt had been avoiding him. Or rather, instead of avoiding, more like avoiding alone time with him.

Kurt had clearly been happy, there had been no denying that, as soon as Dave woke up. He'd spent the first six hours with him nonstop, he'd been happy, or at least he seemed happy. But now that a few days had gone by, Dave was beginning to notice other things.

"I call it hell," Jim had explained earlier that morning when Dave described what was happening.

"What do you mean hell?"

Jim sighed and sat at the end of the bed, "Remember when I got thrown back during that explosion my second year of my marriage? I was unconscious for two days, scared the shit out of Tori."

"Yeah."

"She went through this time where she didn't know if she could be with a fireman, my dad had it too with mom, said it's when they realize that every single moment could be this horrifically painful, and they're trying to decide between protecting their hearts and being enough for us."

"You think that's what's happening?"

Jim shook his head, "I know it is. Let him talk to you about it, but he's going to figure it out. He does love you, Dave; I don't doubt that, I watched that boy fret like crazy over you. He definitely loves you."

"Thanks, Jimmy."

"Anything for you, homeboy. Listen, get better soon the station is super dull without you around to mess with the rookies."

Dave smiled as he remembered the rest of their conversation. He was so thankful to have Jim, he'd helped with so much of the pain from his brother, and his issues in the past. He sighed as he looked out the window, wishing he was out there now.

Kurt chose that moment to walk through the door, "Hey," he greeted coolly, as he took a seat next to Dave.

"Hi."

"How do you feel?"

Dave glanced at his body, "All things considering, not too bad. How about you?"

Kurt rebuffed at that question, "I'm fine."

"Kurt, I'm not dumb, what's going on. You don't think I've noticed the way you're pulling away."

Kurt sighed as he pushed out of the chair nervously and walked over to the window, "I…I'm sorry," Kurt's voice was just above a whisper.

Dave studied Kurt's back for a moment, before the man turned and moved slowly back over to the bed, "What for?"

Kurt shook his head, tears swimming in his eyes, "Please forgive me, David. Because…" Kurt heave a shaky breath, "I've spent days trying to figure this out, trying to figure out how to…how to cope with all of this."

"My being a fire fighter."

Kurt nodded slowly, "I thought I could…understand, I've seen all of you guys, hell Noah is my best friend but now." He closed his eyes, tears trailing down his cheeks, "This is unlike anything I've ever experienced before. I've never been so terrified. I love you so…so completely."

"You love me?"

Kurt realized he hadn't really said that before, he scooted closer and took Dave's hand and nodded, "I do love you. More than you could even imagine, more than I certainly thought possible after only a few months." He paused, "I shouldn't be doing all of this, it's too soon."

"Hey, I'm going to be fine, you know that. But I have the feeling this is something you have to get off your chest."

"I thought I understood, I thought I could comprehend all of this," he gestured around. "But then faced with the…the possibility that I could be raising two kids or more on my own, the thought of living my life…" It was clear he was struggling to figure out what to say and how best to say it. "I have to make sure that I'm strong enough for this, Dave. That I'm strong enough for you."

Dave realized that Kurt wasn't as strong as he'd thought, Kurt wasn't weak, but Dave could tell Kurt was struggling with the idea of what all this could mean. "Kurt, you don't have to be strong for me."

"Yes I do," Kurt replied, shaking his head and looking away for a moment, "You deserve to be so happy, and you make me happier than I ever imagined. But you deserve someone who understands the sacrifice you might have to make one day."

Dave could see Kurt was struggling, that he was trying to come to terms with it right now. "Kurt, don't force yourself into this. Everyone who's with a cop, or a fireman, or even the military has to accept these dangers. We accepted them when we signed the paperwork, but you're the one who will have to live with whatever the aftermath is. You have every right to feel torn and terrified. I don't blame you. Believe me, it wasn't something I entered into lightly."

"You deserve better, I'm sorry."

Dave pulled Kurt closer with all the strength he could muster and hugged him close. "Take whatever time you need, as much space as you need." Pulling back he looked at his lover, stroked his cheek. "I love you too, so much. I've waited seventeen years for you, a couple more days, weeks or months aren't going to hurt."

"Thank you."

Dave nodded and pressed his lips to Kurt, thankful when he felt the kiss returned with passion. "I do love you."

"I love you too." Kurt stood slowly, and left the room, leaving Dave alone to consider what had just occurred.

o0o

Tori was doing laundry when she heard the door bell ring. She headed out of the basement and up to the front door, surprised to see Kurt standing there. "Kurt," she greeted as she opened the door. "Everything all right?"

Kurt nodded, but then stopped short and shook his head, "Can I talk to you?"

"Of course, come on in, did you want something to drink or eat?"

"No, thank you."

They took a seat on the couch, Tori waited, having the feeling she knew what this was all about. "How do you…do it?"

Tori smiled sadly and nodded, "Did you know when a fireman dies…the Fire Chief or Captain comes in the SUV and knocks on your door to tell you personally. Even though your husband, wife, sibling, parent dies you're faced with this huge family of support. Kurt, I can't give you the right answer, I can only tell you how we cope. I met Cheryl…through a group of supporters, most of us try to live around one another, or go to support meetings as a way to cope with that fear. I guess in some ways I'm lucky, my dad was a fireman….and a fire took his life, so I know what it's like to wait everyday by the phone in fear."

"What if I'm not strong enough?"

"You are so much stronger than you think. Look at you, you've raised an incredible boy, he's going to be an amazing young man. You've built this empire of power around you at the hospital, I can't tell you the number of people who saw me near you and just gave me so much support and love. Kurt, it hurts and it's scary, but it's very rewarding."

"What happened to your dad?"

"9-11," she replied softly, giving him a very tight smile.

"I'm so sorry."

"Me too, sorry that I didn't get to spend more time with him, I was lucky, I was about ten when he died…my sisters weren't so lucky. But daddy died to help someone else live. It's not in vain, Kurt. What they do every day is to protect us and make our lives better. To make sure our children live and can tell others about their triumphs. No one will judge you or blame you if you do walk away, Kurt." She gripped his hand, "I guarantee you, because all the fireman will know why, and all the wives will sympathize, and we'll all still love you."

"I do love him."

She nodded, "I know. If you didn't, walking away would be easy. His last boyfriend didn't have much trouble with it. But Kurt, you're struggling, because of how much you love him. There's no fault in that, no shame. What you're doing is being honest and he can't fault you for that kind of pain."

"Will you tell me about your dad?"

She smiled, "Of course."


End file.
